Moreau Integration Two - Charles Luke Charles Luke Drew Espeseth Moreau First Year Experience 3 December 2021 My First Chapter at Notre Dame These few short months that have made up the beginning of my college experience have been a period of greater change than any other time in my life. As the semester progresses however, I am more able each day to try to make sense of what all this new information means. What first felt like an influx of new ideas and encounters too overwhelming to make anything of, eventually turned to new knowledge and a few changes in thinking for me. Once I learned how to belong here, that I did belong, it became much easier to slow down and analyze what was being thrown at me. The things that I have experienced in only a single college semester have made a great impact on my way of thinking and are forcing me to make decisions on how to respond to what is happening in the world around me. First, I believe that not only fitting in but also belonging to the Notre Dame community makes it much easier to settle in and take the changes of college one step at a time. During my first few weeks on campus I was afraid that everyone else was smarter, more athletic, or just overall superior in most ways to me. What I felt is impostor syndrome, and until I learned to overcome it I had no chance at making it through college. “Intense feelings of imposterism can prevent people from sharing their great ideas or applying for jobs and programs where they’d excel” (“What is Impostor Syndrome?” by Elizabeth Cox - Moreau FYE Week Nine). I never realized I had imposter syndrome until coming to Notre Dame. Looking back though, I can see it in the way I acted and the attitude I had toward certain opportunities. Things such as going to all https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo star basketball showcases or running for student government I decided against because even though I had nothing to lose, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I either wouldn’t be good enough or even worse I would somehow be embarrassed. Once I started to feel comfortable, I realized what I consider to be one of the biggest problems in America was just as bad here. Watching two students in a club mercilessly belittle and insult each other over a difference in political opinion was something new to me. In high school, nobody cared about politics because nobody could vote. I am not saying students should take that approach here because politics do determine our country’s fate and are thus necessary for discussion. However, if this discussion just turns into an attack of ad hominems then I think it would be more productive to leave it alone. President Jenkins says, “We in this country are in the midst of a social crisis, a harsh and deepening split between groups that are all too ready to see evil in each other” (“Wesley Theological Seminary 2012 Commencement Address” by Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Ten). This quote from Fr. Jenkins sums up this problem and it is one that does not seem as if it is getting better. Political parties and ideologies continue to divide our country much more than they should. The problem is, as Fr. Jenkins later highlighted, both sides want change but neither side wants to change themself. This split separates family, friends, and Americans at large and to what end? I understand the issues are important but if both sides refuse to acknowledge the other as reasonable, then we are not going to get anywhere. Continuing that thought, I believe the biggest reason for this divide is racism and the unwillingness to accept the difference of race and diversity as good things. In one of this course’s videos Agustin Fuentes says, “Race and racism are malleable, alterable” (“Diversity Matters!” by Prof. Agustin Fuentes - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). I disagree strongly with how Professor Fuentes groups race and racism together in this statement and throughout the video because they https://president.nd.edu/homilies-writings-addresses/wesley-theological-seminary-commencement/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=d14a0472-9c0e-44ea-bd39-53c67ee1d436 are not the same thing nor do all the same things apply to both. A person’s race is a part of their identity and cannot be changed, and that is a good thing. People of all origins should be proud of where they came from and be proud of their unique differences. Racism on the other hand is evil and while it could be potentially altered, I think that idea goes against the concept of “implicit bias” mentioned several times in this course. Finally, the biggest part of this issue that is being ignored is the absence of God. Sure, both sides might claim to be involved with God, yet both sides continue to do unholy things. C.S. Lewis says about hardships, “Now it may surprise you to learn that in His efforts to get permanent possession of a soul, He relies on the troughs even more than on the peaks” (The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). This quote said by Screwtape states something that is backed by thousands of testimonies. God often finds people at their lowest, with no one to turn to, and gives them peace. It is possible to turn to God when things are going well, but more often than not we ignore him. Things are going smoothly so why would we need his help? It is not usually until we are at our lowest, with nowhere else to turn, that we finally give in to the love God has been offering the whole time. I hope our community and country are like this too. I do not know if we are at our lowest yet, but we are certainly very low, and hopefully in a place where God can find us. Ultimately, I believe that God is in control and people will figure things out here soon. I hope so anyway. This first semester has taught me so much about others, myself, and the world at large. There will always be problems with the world, our country, and our community, but we should meet these issues as a whole and head on. I think the world needs to figure itself out, and my suggestion is to do that with empathy toward each other and by following God. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28315/files/191230?module_item_id=108039 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28315/files/191230?module_item_id=108039