Integration 1 Moreau FYE Integration One My Developing Core Beliefs This semester in Moreau we seemed to discuss a lot about different things that can define and shape a person. While I did not learn anything about myself per se, I learned new ways to articulate truths about myself and society that I believe. I also learned a lot about how other people think based on what my Moreau classmates said. These classes have helped me identify some root beliefs of mine: I believe that I am made for community, I believe that I grow by diving deeper in this community, and I believe that I am responsible for bettering this community. My first root belief is that I am made for community. A source from Week Four that stuck out to me particularly was a chart which lists several attributes of a healthy relationship, one of which is respect. The description of respect is, “Partners treat each other like they want to be treated and accept each other’s opinions, friends, and interests. They listen to each other” (“Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships” by The Red Flag Campaign - Moreau FYE Week Four). In my first two months at Notre Dame I have been seeking out opportunities to befriend people and grow in community. I have found that respecting people helps me be who I want to be in friendships, namely a person who cares about what the other thinks and who wants to help them. Giving a peer respect also elicits respect from them. Developing this mutual respect has helped me grow in this community that I believe I was made for. My time at Notre Dame has also strengthened my belief that growing in communion with God is the best way to become fully alive. An article about faith states, “Spirituality concerns the real world, and how we see it, how we do it, how we approach it. Spiritual life alters the cockeyed lighting that makes us the center of the universe” (“Faith Brings Light to a Dark World” by David Fagerberg - Moreau FYE Week Three). I believe that I was made to be in community with both the Creator and His created, and that through this true fulfillment is found. As Fagerberg implies, making ourselves the center of the universe is a mindset that needs conversion. I have found that in my own life, especially at Notre Dame, when I dedicate https://drive.google.com/a/nd.edu/file/d/0B93cIKOnINCLS1JpUzZ5Q1JseGs/view?usp=sharing https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau time to growing in communion with God rather than living every second of my day for myself I see the world in a more authentic, upbuilding way. The Where I’m From module caused me to consider my history of community in light of what I want to develop here. The Where I’m From website emphasizes that “No one else sees the world as you do,” so we should take time to formulate and think about how we see the world (“Where I’m From'' by George Ella Lyon - Moreau FYE Week Six). While this does not explicitly relate to building community, pondering how I see the world to write that poem made me reflect on the fact that I desire deeper friendships. My friendships in highschool were alright but not always upbuilding or sincere; here, I desire to have people who I can trust more and get along better with. In my time at Notre Dame, I desire to create deeper relationships with people compared to what I had in high school, so I plan to try harder to be a friend and make friends. My second root belief is that I grow by diving deeper in community with others. I have found that a big component of diving deeper in this sense is willing to be vulnerable. For example, in my second week at Notre Dame I was in a dorm with a few other guys and girls, and we went around answering somewhat deep questions from some cards. Willing to be vulnerable in this setting helped us all to get to know eachother better, and now, about a month later, we are all better friends. In a TED Talk in the Week One’s module, the speaker proposed that “[vulnerability] is the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, of love” (“The Power of Vulnerability'' by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). While I don't believe that vulnerability is the only source of joy and love, I do believe that it can greatly foster these and help one dive deeper in community, as it has for me. I believe that another technique to grow closer to people in community is learning others’ stories. In Week Five’s module, a Holy Cross priest mentioned that each person’s story matters, and that we need to learn from these stories (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education'' by Fr. Kevin Grove - Moreau FYE Week Five). I believe that listening to other people’s stories can also be very informative, as each person has a unique perspective on life. Listening to friends’ stories and experiences specifically can help us to get to know them better and form closer, deeper relationships with them. http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0 https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187 https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187 My last root belief is that I am responsible for bettering the communities of which I am a part of. I think that this is done primarily by living a lifestyle that first builds up others rather than oneself. I have seen many people in the Notre Dame community living this way, and it seems to do a great job of bettering the community. In a TED Talk in Week Two’s module, the speaker discusses two mindsets, one of striving for worldly success and one of striving for morality and interior wholeness, and concludes that living this second way is the overall better way to live (“Should You Live for Your Résumé ... Or Your Eulogy?'' by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Two). Both the outward mindsets harbored by many members in the Notre Dame community and Brooks’ beliefs have helped me to better understand why living a lifestyle that builds others up is much better than living solely for oneself, and have caused me to want to grow in this area. Week Seven’s content discusses building up community in the context of a nation: “If a country can’t tell narratives in which everybody finds an honorable place, then righteous rage will drive people toward tribal narratives that tear it apart” (“How to Destroy Truth” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Seven). I believe that in order for a community to thrive, all of its members must be included and built up. I have seen the reverse happen here, where people in groups gossip about other members of that group, and eventually it creates unnecessary strain and dissension within groups. Ensuring that each member is respected is key to fostering good relationships. In the first semester in Moreau and other experiences, I have learned more about what it means to be in a community and to build that community up. In the remaining time of this semester, I look forward to growing in my three root beliefs that I am made for community, that I grow by diving deeper in this community, and that I am responsible for bettering this community. By developing deeper relationships with people and refusing to do unnecessary things that would weaken these relationships, I believe that I will continue to find more fulfillment and will thrive more here at Notre Dame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/opinion/patriotism-misinformation.html?referringSource=articleShare