Integration Four




29 April 2022

Moreau

Almost There, Never Finished

In large part, I don’t believe that we should ever be individuals solely motivated by an

organization outside of ourselves. Though our time on Earth is in fact transient, humans should not

define the seemingly timeless idea of our own “mission” in terms of the temporary organizations

with which we come to associate during our lifetimes. In spite of the fact that “We naturally tend to

think of our lives as kind of continuing and continuing” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You To

Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham, Moreau FYE Week 3), we must limit our mission

statement with full acknowledgment of our death. Just as the mission of a university is timeless and

does not depend on any external bodies, so too should the personal mission statements of humans

be largely independent of their surroundings. My mission statement is personal.

All the same, though, humans are intrinsically products of our environments and therefore

define our missions in accordance with our lived experience. My mission statement is motivated

much by my upbringing and will always be so. Take for example the plight of Fr. Greg Boyle, who

dedicates his life in the spirit that “sometimes you’re thrown into each other’s jurisdiction, and that

feels better than living, as the Buddhusts say, in the ‘illusion of separateness.’” (“Tattoos on The

Heart” by Fr. Greg Boyle, Moreau FYE Week 7). Fr. Boyle has an unrelenting identity that’s rooted

in the organization which he’s founded and to which he’s dedicated his life—Homeboy Industries.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/523987?module_item_id=168024
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/523987?module_item_id=168024


However, his life mission isn’t just organizational; at its core, he’s rooted himself personally in that

endeavor. Just the same, the organizations which I’ve come to love don’t define me. With that said,

my environments have motivated me to pursue several obligations and aspirations, which include

(in no particular order): taking steps to become an independent person through experience and

education, always remembering and paying homage to family, maintaining (or growing into) an

equanimity of mind, keeping the good of humanity at the forefront of all my professional decisions,

and proceeding with a charge to enjoy life as it is.

It can often be easier to define what one’s mission is not rather than what is. This tendency is

not entirely undisciplined and is in fact a core of my own mission. The world presents us many

forces, options, thoughts, ideas, and people that may shape and influence our mission. Many of

these forces will prove to be net evils or negative influences and, as such, it is my mission to discern

between the many forces in life and choose which are good and which are not. Life is by no means a

binary experience, but the universe does have a semblance of parity to it which allows for right and

wrong decisions. This is objective morality. Much of my mission concerns itself with sifting

through life, determining what is good, and taking on all of the perceived good. Trying to identify

what is and isn’t truth is also a goal of my mission for which Prof. Paul Blaschko guides us to “be

intentional about the information we expose ourselves to, seeking out intelligent people with

whom we disagree and attempting to fully understand their arguments.” (“How to Avoid an Echo

Chamber” by Paul Blaschko, Moreau FYE Week 11.) As evidenced by the title of Dr. Tasha Eurich’s

Ted.com article, there is a right and wrong way to reflect and look at our lives. As opposed to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND


spending valuable time and energy toward wearing myself out with “why” questions , I’d like to

“Instead…ask “What am I feeling right now?”. (The Right Way to Be Introspective by Tasha Eurich,

Moreau FYE Week 6). That’s the frame of mind that I’d like to employ within my mission state goal

of finding what’s good in life in response to how I feel.

My mission statement is dynamic, not static. Unlike institutions, my mission statement is

(and will likely always be) a temporospatial consideration. At present moment, the idea of having a

permanent view on the order of the world is repulsive. I must always be at least open to changing

my personal philosophy. This is not to say that I have a fragile outlook on the world—I don’t.

However, it will always be important to me to consider newness. This is the pivotal difference

between my mission statement and an institution’s. “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of

my soul.” - William Ernest Henley.

Applying this mission statement over the next three years will be difficult. The things I’ve

mentioned as being central to who I am are actually better described as things I wish to fulfill.

Naturally, that means I have some growing to do. I think it’s a good thing that my mission

statement is a combination of things I currently practice and things I aspire to practice. For

instance, the aspect of “proceeding with a charge to enjoy life as it is” is a part of my mission

statement that I don’t currently embody, but one I wish to develop. Predicting how this tenet will

animate my next three years, I would venture to guess that, if I succeed, I will be much less stressed

out by the unpredictability of my future career. In fact, if I proceed with a charge to enjoy life as it is,

that would mean I would embrace the fact that there are so many unknowns left for me in life. In a

https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/


very big way, not knowing how my life will pan out is a blessing and can be an exciting thing. The

moment that I begin to fully recognize and embrace that will be the moment I truly live to my

mission statement.

A very real and imminent struggle to living out my mission statement lies in the question of

how I will respond to the anxiety I live with. My anxiety shapes so much of my life and almost

controls me; in a way, I’m in the passenger seat of my own life. This fact won’t go away in the next

three years. Or thirty. I know that, and it’s something that I’ve had to accept with pain.

Nevertheless, there must be a real and vibrant way to proceed in spite of my anxiety. Provided that

“the World Health Organization has been widely quoted as stating that ‘stress will be the health

epidemic of the twenty-first century,’” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer, Moreau

FYE Week 1), I can only estimate that my own levels of stress, depression, and anxiety will rise with

time. Therefore, the stated “equanimity of mind” should become an equally important component

of my mission. One tangible thing that I think will be crucial to achieving this is meditation. The

MSCA Symposium Abstract on the Institute for Wellness and Wellbeing notes that

“wellbeing…rests on the belief that one is doing well emotionally, socially, and psychologically.”

(“MSCA Wellness Abstract” by Ken Kelley, Moreau FYE Week 12), which I believe requires a very

grounded and intentional practice such as meditation. The purpose of meditation is not to try and

achieve a greater domain over thought and emotion. As my dad put it just a week ago, “the mind is a

wild monkey”, which (to continue the metaphor) can only be tamed, not chased away.

https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/
https://provost.nd.edu/about/provosts-initiatives/moment-to-see-courage-to-act/msca-symposium/#summaries


It would be ignorant to assume that my mission statement will always be the same,

however. There are so many life-altering parts of life that I haven’t experienced which I’m sure will

change the way I define the mission of my life. However, all I can do now is predict what I think the

most important things in my life will be as I grow and continue to try my best to pursue those

things. If, after all the years of my life, my mission statement has completely changed but my life

path has also changed, I will not be disappointed in my failure to adhere to the April 29th iteration

of my mission statement. After all, the only guarantee we can have in life is change, so I should

expect to change with life.