Integration 1 Semester 2



Moreau FYE
Prof. Hnatusko
3.4.21

A Man After God’s Own Heart

 was born on September 21st, 2003, in Torrance Memorial Hospital, to Tony
and So-Young Chen. Now, ninety-six years later, his beautiful journey has come to a close, as a
father, a husband, and even as president of the United States. This is a little bit about the
wonderful life he led, and how he truly changed our world for the better.

To preface, during his lifetime, he truly valued self - reflection, and it helped him become
the man he was. Joshua’s reliance on self reflection was primarily borne out of both his Christian
values and his education at the University of Notre Dame. During his first year there he learned
the importance of taking time to ponder and mull over yourself. He often cited an article he read
by Pico Iyer: “Put another way, the ability to gather information, which used to be so crucial, is
now far less important than the ability to sift through it.” (“Why we need to slow down our lives”
by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). This quote was truly accurate, Josh often spoke about
how digital devices had invaded modern space and lives and made it hard to focus on things that
mattered, to take a minute to breathe, to live and feel the things around him. It was severe among
his peers as well, everyone’s eyes were glued to screens, their minds and senses overloaded by
the minute. Before, people definitely didn't have this sort of access to an overwhelming sea of
data, pictures, videos, words, flowing over and in you. Josh was fond of taking some time out of
his week, usually once a week, to process and have a “digital device-free day.” Taking the
Sabbath seriously was also important to him, the focus of the Lord’s day for him was supposed to
be the Lord.

One person Josh mentioned occasionally was Fr. Hesburgh, as someone who Josh had
great respect for and wanted to even model his life after, to an extent. Fr. Hesburgh was a true
warrior of the light, someone who fought hard for equality. Josh was astounded by a
documentary he watched freshman year, a powerful and moving video. “Put your country before
party, before politics. And always do the right thing.” ~ Tim Romer. (“Hesburgh" (Produced by
Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley) - Moreau FYE Week Two). Tim was one of the interviewees
and what Hesburgh told him stuck with Josh. To always do the right thing; that was something
Josh’s parents had also stressed to him since childhood. Fr. Hesburgh’s actions aligned with a
true Christian worldview and Josh wanted to act on his beliefs in a similar manner. As president
of the United States, Josh was one of the few leaders to not give into corruption or his ego, to
maintain a level head and call for wisdom above all else. To give your all to working for the
good of everyone was his goal above all else, and he called everyone to a higher standard of
morality and dignity. He truly desired to treat all people with love and compassion.

https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/
https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9


When asked about his motivations, Josh once spoke about a very peculiar nun he had
heard about, Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble. She was someone who reminded people about their
mortality, who had the ephemeral nature of human existence at the forefront of her mind. She
once said, “To us, death is exotic, but that’s a luxury particular to our time and place.” (“Meet the
Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die ” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three).
Josh said this quote was a sobering reminder of how life was, in fact, limited, and that our time
on Earth was precious and valuable. To do good, to avoid sloth and laziness, to achieve; these
were all things Josh believed only increased in value as a result of human mortality.
Remembering our ultimate passing away helped keep things in perspective and further motivated
Josh to live the best life he could, as that would make the next, with God, ever sweeter. He
desired to enjoy the fruits of this life by being an honest man after God’s own heart, to be a
“good and faithful servant.” His altruistic work in service exemplifies this.

When asked how he discerned his path, he quoted the Meruelo Center for Career
Development he had utilized at ND. “If you actively engage in the process, take ownership, and
utilize the tools at your disposal you will reap the benefits and establish a satisfying professional
life.” (“Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau First Year Experience Course” by the MFCCD
- Moreau FYE Week Four). He said this inspired him to grab ahold of his interests and
ambitions, and to run free with them. His parents had always told him to follow the path he felt
was best, to do what his heart told him to, and what God had prepared for him. His studies in
Economics and Political science took him to graduate school, where he eventually pursued a
career in national security and foreign relations, and of course, eventually ended up as POTUS.
He often cites his time at ND for giving him a sense of purpose and direction, for setting him on
a straight path towards a clear future.

On top of official resources, he also said just speaking with people he knew, those close
to him, like his family and friends, was very valuable. He loved hearing what others had to say,
and was a listener and a communicator. He said that some friends told him he was good at being
a people person, at making others feel happy and comfortable, to draw people into conversations
and out of their shells. He was good at building community, fostering an environment, and
bringing people together like glue. Other friends remarked on his reading and writing skills, as
he enjoyed being creative and using words to create powerful messages. (“Conversations with
friends” - Moreau FYE Week Five). These skills only blossomed with time and were truly
encapsulated in his lifetime.

Sometimes, he talked about personal blocks to being his best self. He talked about how
for him, self-control was by far the most important virtue as well as the hardest. But other times,
his own mind would fall into questioning himself. He would find himself prying for the truth. He
would try to combine what and why questions to accurately identify his emotional state and
anything that felt off within him. There was a quote from an article on introspection that he
mentioned: “Other research suggests that self-analyzers tend to have more anxiety, less positive
social experiences and more negative attitudes about themselves.” (“The Right Way to be
Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)" by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six). While he

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://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/
https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/
https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/


didn’t completely agree with the article, as he thought what and why questions were equally
important, what for identifying what was wrong accurate, and why for identifying the cause, he
still talked about how just those two questions helped him accurately characterize his emotions
and classify his feelings to help him have a better grasp of himself internally and soothe turmoil,
doubts, and fears.

And perhaps the value he talked about most, throughout his life, was bridging the gap. In
a polarized, divided chasm of society, amidst political conflict and ideological warfare, Josh
strove to remind everyone of the human beings within everyone else. Josh wanted people to be
kind above all else. “But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the
other as a "you" and themselves as part of an ‘us.’” (“Why the only future worth building
includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). This was a quote by Pope
Francis Josh loved to recite. He said that at an early age he felt the vitriolic dialogue that was
corroding society’s very bonds, and he witnessed the anger on both sides, all the time. It
pervaded everything, the media, books, TV, classes, conversations. It hurt him, every time he saw
people sucked so far into their own beliefs they didn’t listen to anyone around them. And
therefore, above all else, he talked about reminding people to be human. Kindness, sympathy,
these were the first steps towards recovering the severed bridges of the world around him. Joshua
led by example and just as Jesus called us to love one another, Josh also wanted people to just
lay down their hatred, their defenses, and step into the light of a Christian compassion.

Overall, these were some of the values I thought were pertinent to who Josh was. The
way he lived was Christian through and through. And even though there are so many pastors,
politicians, everyday people, who claim to be followers of God, they often don’t act like it. I am
proud to say that Josh was not one of these people and his thoughtfulness and his actions spoke
valiantly for the person he was, someone who cherished God’s word.

Thank you all.

https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript
https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript