Capstone Integration 2 semester 2 Moreau FYE Prof. Hnatusko 4.28.22 The Good Life and My Mission as A Christian I am dedicated to living out the Christian faith in every facet of my life. I want to be like Jesus, to let Him inform every area of my life. From my choices, to my words, to my thoughts, I want to make sure I am living in accordance with my beliefs. If I stay true to my faith and the values it entails, I will have fulfilled my duty. I hope to make people’s days better; not only to live with the future in sight but to be present in the places where God has put me, to make people smile. I want to be thankful, courageous, honest, and curious, to love everyone, to be a listener and to engage with those around me in a way that helps them be better. I will take advantage of the opportunities given to me and take care of my responsibilities with joy and vigor. I will take time to reflect, pray, and know myself more deeply. As Pico Iyer said: “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). I want to never be too busy to reflect, I want to make sure that I always have time to ponder the day, and think about things critically and gracefully and be constructive in my quiet time. I can start doing this by praying more, and reflecting whenever I have time, to never be too busy to turn away a moment of contemplation. To put down my phone and close my eyes. https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ A way that I can keep myself on track with my mission is by emulating those role models I’ve found in my life. One such role model is Fr. Hesburgh, who told Tim Romer: “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). I will put others first and love those around me, even those I might disagree with. The United States is a beautiful land and the people in it deserve to be heard and loved and understood, even if we don’t all agree. I would like to keep the examples of people who have lived their lives to the fullest and made meaningful change in the world at the forefront of my mind when I live out my mission. It is possible, and these people have shown me how to bring beauty out of a fallen world, even when the odds seem insurmountable. I will keep in mind my finite time on the Earth, before I go to see God in all His wonder and glory, that I have things to do here and to never grow lazy or give into sloth. Procrastination, something I struggle with, must die. As this nun says, “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). We should already be grateful that modern medicine and healthier living styles have increased our life expectancy significantly. To cherish every moment as a gift, with the expectation of future glory, should be our aspiration. To hear, “my good and faithful servant” at the end of my life’s journey entails living well while I am on Earth. In order to maximize my time on Earth, I need to discern my career and what I want to do. As the MFCCD says, “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 - 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 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ Moreau FYE Week Four). I will be active in the process to discover what fulfills me and brings me joy and brings me to people that need me or that I can help in some way, even if I don’t realize it at first. I want to discern this through both the advice of people as well as prayer and thoughtful reflection. Thankfully, nothing is ever truly set in stone when it comes to educational and career paths, and I have lots of flexibility this early in my journey. I will be active in trying things out and being cautiously decisive in my choices. Some conversations with my friends have pointed out my strengths and skills, and what I’m good at. I’ve been told I’m a kind “people person” who also says profound things in my Seminar. I’m strong interpersonally and at critically analyzing different material. I’m creative and I enjoy reading and writing, while studying how to better people’s lives and the intersections of policy and economics also interest me greatly. (“Conversations with friends” - Moreau FYE Week Five). I am grateful for being able to talk with my friends about these matters and I’m sure it’ll become more clear in the future where I can direct my strengths to have the best impact possible. When I do discern I will be sure to do so in a healthy manner conducive to positive gains from reflection. While being constructively critical I will also be gracious to myself and others. “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). I want to ensure that I get the most out of my reflective time and in order to learn something valuable from my experience I need to have the right mindset of balance, prudence, forgiveness and appreciation and a vulnerability that accepts myself despite my flaws, and to try and be better, to be more like Jesus. 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/ And when I learn from my time within myself, I would like to to translate to my life directly. I must act on what I learn, especially, and part of learning involves accepting the advice that others give you and being willing to listen to and dialogue with someone with vastly different beliefs from your own. “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). We, us, community; at the heart of all all these ideas is a profound unity that can only be brought about by loving those around us relentlessly, regardless of what they think about certain subjects. To love as God loves is to love unconditionally; while this is hard for us humans, it’s necessary to building strong bonds and bridging the gap, whether it be political polarization, discrimination, anger and bias in any form, on either side. We must overcome with love and compassion, and open minds and hearts. Part of living like this, living with care for others, is accompaniment. To accompany others is to be with them through thick and thin, to help them at all times just by being there for them, by being a shoulder to lean on. As Dr. Steve Reifenberg says, “So maybe sustainability is, in part, to do whatever it takes (which is PIH’s informal motto), and walking together, working together, discovering the path, a path that will be sustained over time, together.” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together ” by Dr. Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). We can sustain each other by building each other up, by “being there” for someone else, to live the promise of companionship as a fellow human being. I will try my best to be there for others, just as they have been there for me. God has put so many people in my life that I am grateful for, and I want to be that person for someone else. 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 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing The best way to accompany is to embrace others the way they are. “For Notre Dame, Christ is the law by which all other laws are to be judged.” (“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” by du lac: A Guide to Student Life, University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Ten). Especially here at Notre Dame on this beautiful campus and beautiful community, we must strive to continually be kind, to accept others as they are despite our differences, be it ethnic, cultural, lingual, religious, political, and accept that these differences make our community stronger and that it can be strengthened by our acceptance of these differences. Now, this does not mean pinning the blame on any one group, but rather coming together in our understanding that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). How can we be more understanding and loving of those different from us? One way is to avoid bubbles and the resulting echo chambers. Dr. Paul Blaschko states something quite reasonable: “Bubbles become echo chambers when groups give up on tolerating diversity of opinion.” (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko, ThinkND - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). I want to make sure that while I engage with those who think like me (which is easy) I also engage positively with those I might disagree with about various issues or ideas. To keep in contact with people who challenge me intellectually and figure out compromises and better understandings of each other, is crucial to the health and growth of any community. It will also help us grow in respect for each other no matter how different we look or think. I offer my unique perspective of someone who is an ethnic minority, as an Asian American, and a religious minority at ND (Protestant Christian) and someone who has lived in five states and overseas to contribute to healthy dialogue and bridging gaps. To bridge the gaps I must actively reach out to others who are different from me and stop separation of any form when I see it. “One thing that each and every one of us can do is to end https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND the cycle of hate by ending the separation that leads to it.” (“Dean G. Marcus Cole: 'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something” by Dean G. Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). As the Dean states, I will play my part in bringing people together, to amplify each other positively. When we all come together under the grace of God, what can stop us? What will stand in our way when we are all united in love and the pursuit of the greater good? This, then, is my mission. As my mission statement says, “Success is to find value and meaning by utilizing the gifts you’ve been given to better the world around you.” and “The highest good for me is to do and live according to God’s will, to walk the path He has prepared for me all my days.” (“My Mission Statement” by - Moreau FYE Week Thirteen). I will live my life earnestly, as best I can, and as God wills it I will leave this world a better place. https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/