Moreau Integration One - Charles Luke Charles Luke Drew Espeseth Moreau First Year Experience 15 October 2021 Integration One - What do I believe? I believe that God is good and that having a relationship with him, others, and yourself are the three most important things in life. This Root Belief is more essential to my existence than anything else. Through the first seven weeks of Moreau I have been forced to look deeper into myself than ever before, and with this searching I learned some things I liked and many things I did not like about who I am. This does not mean I dislike myself, I simply dislike certain character flaws and know these are areas of improvement for me. Rather than taking this self-critiquing as an insult, I want to take it as a challenge to better myself and more truthfully and genuinely live out what I believe. While it is easy for me to know internally what my Root Beliefs are, the difficulty lies in making sure I act as if I believe those things every single moment, and up to this point I have not been. First, I believe that belonging, at least for me, to something bigger than myself is one of the most crucial aspects of enjoying life. This could be a family, group of friends, or even a sports team, but having others for support when life is hard makes everything a little more manageable. A quote that really resonated with me reads, “Connection is why we’re here. It’s what gives meaning and purpose to our lives” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). I also believe that I cannot truly belong if I am not my authentic self. Being oneself involves knowing strengths and weaknesses, what to depend on versus what to work on. I often wonder whether it is better to focus on my strengths or weaknesses and it simply https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be comes down to this idea: “Adam I is built by building on your strengths. Adam II is built by fighting your weaknesses” (“Should You Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy?” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Two). I am certain I would rather build up my eulogy characteristics than my resumé, but most of the time I find myself doing the opposite. Next, I believe that my faith defines who I am, and if I live according to that faith, my life will be satisfying. Eternity in Heaven is my ultimate goal, and this puts a lot of pressure on me to live out my faith on earth. Of course I mess up a lot, but as Fr. McCormick said, “Be patient. If you’re in a hurry, faith becomes so much harder to understand” (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” by Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Three). This idea of being patient with my faith life is something that I keep trying to emphasize in my life, but am not always successful at. It is very easy to get angry with myself over mistakes but this is not a rewarding path to take, rather, it is better to take my journey with God one step at a time. Similarly, I believe that forging life-giving relationships with not just God but also others should be a priority in my life. This is something that I actually feel I do well at, both at picking the right people to have these relationships with and also keeping the relationships mutual and healthy. “Beware of the friend who says they hate drama. Unfortunately, this is usually the kind of friend who actually loves drama and frequently finds him- or herself in the center of it” (“5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship” by Olivia T. Taylor - Moreau FYE Week 4). This was actually something I had recognized before coming to Notre Dame, but it has been proven true here as well. I do not particularly like or dislike drama, but I know from experience that having it in my life all the time is exhausting and something I would rather do without. Subsequently, I believe that truth and logic are needed to make my life on earth meaningful. Fr. Grove says, “If we’re really searching for truth in whatever we study, then we https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/relationships/signs-of-toxic-friendships/ https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/relationships/signs-of-toxic-friendships/ need both faith and reason” (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Five). While I emphasized the importance of faith earlier, of near importance is reason, because faith should not be blind if reason can be found for it. I believe that where I am from, both the location and the people and things that shaped me are the earthly things I love most. This idea of origin and shaping influences is unique to every person, no one has had the exact same experiences and no one can take away from what made me the person I am now (“Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon - Moreau FYE Week Six) While I love the things that have shaped me, I know that many do not love their own individual influences, and thus feel blessed to have lived my story of life so far. Those who are not so lucky include people who have been disadvantaged from the start. A study says, “A majority of people taking this test show evidence of implicit bias, suggesting that most individuals are implicitly biased even if they do not think of themselves as prejudiced” (“How to Think about ‘Implicit Bias’” by Keith Payne, Laura Niemi, John M. Doris - Moreau FYE Week Seven). So, those who are not so lucky are those who suffer the most from this “implicit bias”, and I do not think that includes me. What I want to do to resolve this issue is essentially help educate where others and myself have biases and do not realize it. Recognizing these problems is the first step to fixing them. Ultimately, I believe that God is in control and people will figure things out here soon. I hope so anyway. These first several weeks of Moreau FYE have taught me about not only myself but also others and God, how to build relationships and recognize struggles. I believe that if everyone tried a little harder to understand what other people are going through, the world would be a much better place to live. https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187 http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/