Integration 3 A. Thigpen - Moreau FYE 4 March 2022 Living the Good Life So far this semester, Moreau FYE has made me reflect on myself. I have learned a lot about different perspectives and what is important to living a good life with purpose. Throughout this semester, I have been corrected about many things I thought to be true, I have learned how to think and act to get the most out of life, and I have identified goals that will help me have a life well-lived. Through the materials provided, I have been corrected about many things I thought to be true. The first thing I was corrected about had to do with being caught up with life. In an article, Pico Iyer says, “We’re never caught up with our lives…,” ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). This is referencing how we never give ourselves enough time to reflect and slow down in life. Before reading this article, I believed that sometimes I was caught up with life. After reading this article, I realized how often I let my mind get ahead of me. So often, my mind is already thinking about the next ten things I need to do. By slowing down, I might be able to focus more and experience fully the things I am doing in the present. The second thing that I learned was the “commonly held belief that in our society that a major equals a certain career path,” ("Navigating Your Career Journey" by Mereulo Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week 4) is not true. Here at Notre Dame, I am a finance major, and a lot of times it is hard for me to believe that this does not mean I have to work in corporate finance upon graduation. Looking outside of this makes my future a lot less daunting because I know that I am not restricted but instead will have a strong background in finance that 1 https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ could be used in many different careers. The third thing I learned, that was different from what I had thought, is that introspection is not always beneficial. In her article, Tasha Eurich says, “Introspection might also lull us into a false sense of certainty that we’ve identified the real issue,” ("The right way to be introspective (yes, there's a wrong way)" by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week 6). This quote implies that looking inside yourself can actually be harmful to your mental well-being. After realizing this, I am able to identify many instances where this has happened for me. I feel that I have had experiences where self-reflection has led to hard and saddening conclusions. It has also led me to conclusions where I think I found the root of a problem, but I apply this reason to all of my problems. None of these things led to positive improvement in my mental state. Through the materials provided, I was able to identify that I need to slow down, that I am not limited to one career path, and that introspection may not be helpful which are all things I had not really considered before. The materials given thus far in the semester have also provided me with ways of acting and thinking so that, hopefully, my life will be “well-lived”. In the film about Fr. Hesburgh, he stresses “...that peace is important, that human life is important, that we have to learn to talk to each other,” ("Hesburgh" 1:10:02 - Moreau FYE Week 2). I believe that it is important to have a purpose in life. The mission portrayed here, to keep peace and to communicate, provides a strong purpose with which to go about life. I want to incorporate this mission into my life; I want it to contribute to my purpose. I hope to incorporate this into my life by being sure I communicate my feelings to all of those around me and by promoting peace in all situations. The materials have also given me insight into how to think in order to make the most of my life. In her article, Ruth Graham writes that “...focusing only on the ‘bright and shiny’ is superficial and inauthentic,” ("Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die" by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE 2 https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html Week 3). This emphasizes how important it is to think realistically about what is going on in life. I hope to implement this into my life by focusing on the good and the bad in life. I want to be able to consider just as much what is bad so that I have a more objective outlook on life and on my surroundings. Finally, the Moreau FYE seminar class has allowed me to identify a couple of goals for myself to be sure that I am living life in the way I want to. During a reflective conversation, my mom describes me as “...a true cheerleader in that [I] want to cheer others on, lift their spirits, and celebrate their ‘wins’,” (Jolee David (my mom) - Moreau FYE Week 5). This made me feel very proud. It is my goal to continue to be a “cheerleader” to those around me. I want to be the support system for those around me and to help them with any needs they may have. Doing this like this makes me feel like I have a purpose to go about life with. Similarly, Fr. Greg Boyle writes, “We have a chance, sometimes, to create a new jurisdiction, a place of astonishing mutuality, whenever we close both eyes of judgment and open the other eye to pay attention,” ("Tattoos on the Heart" by Fr. Greg Boyle, pg. 136 - Moreau FYE Week 7). From this mindset, I have come to create the goal for myself to give everyone a chance and live a life free of judgment. By living a life without judgment, I will be able to take all experiences equally and live a life of objectivity. With these new findings, ways of thinking and acting, and goals, I believe I will be capable of having a life well-lived. 3 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/files/523808?module_item_id=167937