Moreau Integration Paper - Victor M. Trejo Gonzalez Victor M. Trejo Gonzalez Professor Andrew Whittington Moreau FYS 10101 October 14th, 2021 Equality Through A Moreau Perspective I believe that equality is a fundamental human right that should be given to everyone regardless of their status and beliefs. Growing up as a minority in a low income community one tends to experience a different perspective and view towards the world compared to someone who might have affluence and is not a minority. And, although I am not arguing for economic equality for all since that would be a hard battle to win, I am arguing that everyone should have the same basic needs and respect regardless of status. To begin, in the first week of this course we talked about the search for belonging, and in order to search for belonging within ourselves we need to also search for belonging within society. Belonging is something we as humans crave and need because “Connection is why we’re here, it's what gives purpose and meaning to our lives” ("The Power of Vulnerability" by Brene Brown - Moreau FYE Week One) but when there is such a divide in the world based on race and other factors belonging becomes more complex because we cant even accomplish living amongst one another. I still to this day sometimes feel like I don't belong in a specific crowd or space because I feel like I don't belong and the only factor to blame is the lack of equality because sometimes I did feel like a second class citizen. To continue, the next topic we touched on in Moreau was “Searching for Self-Knowledge” and related it to how we need to seek to further fulfill our own understanding 1 https://youtu.be/X4Qm9cGRub0 and thirst for knowledge. For me, this topic can especially be seen when talking about equality and topics of such stratitude and importance because they peak my interest. We are creatures wired for fulfillment and like I have learned in Moreau we have two sides to us: we have a “worldy, ambitious, external side” as well as a “humble side of our nature” ("Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy?" by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Two) that helps attract us to further our knowledge and in this situation for me I want to further my knowledge of myself and others in relation to Equality because it is such a grave issue that needs to be fixed so that everyone is treated the same. Furthermore, In week three our Moreau lesson was based and tied to “Searching for a Framework '' which I interpreted as looking for the right time to prove ourselves through faith and without fear. This closely ties to my belief in equality because furthering equality is all about the right time frame and the right way to frame and plan out creating change for the better. For instance, Equality is a very serious topic that oftentimes can get pretty controversial and in this case things need to be planned accordingly and slowly in order to actually create progress. “None of us get to escape the complexities that life has in store” ("The Role of Faith in Our Story" by Campus Ministry - Moreau FYE Week Three) meaning that there is a said path in store for us by God and none of us can escape it but instead wait for it to unfold. I believe that my strong passion for equality and fairness is part of my path and that by being here at Notre Dame I will get to watch it all unfold and inspire me and others to grow within ourselves and as a collective. Later, the next week in our Moreau exploration we discussed relationships and how they can become toxic and what to look out for. This is a good topic and was a really great class because we got to listen to others perspectives about relationships and red flags. This lesson gave me a lot of insight because relationships are like a background to equality because it gives insight 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=UniversityofNotreDameCampusMinistry into how people work and how they interact. For example, if I have diverse relationships then I am helping further the equality agenda because I am increasing equality, knowledge, and understanding which would not happen if I were to only have relationships with those who are alike to me. Something interesting I learned in this lesson was actually that “Assault can happen to anyone, anywhere, and by anyone” ("It's On Us ND- The Three D's of Being an Active Bystander" by unknown author (google drive) - Moreau Week Four) which can be applied to relationships of course but could also be applied to Inequality because it in a way assault’s society form being able to progress into becoming a unified society in which everyone is equal without hate. Overall, being equal and fair helps us build great relationships and bonds as a society that helps us progress. In week 5 we talked about identifying narratives and overcoming them. In this lesson we can apply overcoming the obstacles and narrative of inequality and how equality could better benefit us into becoming a society that overcomes stereotypes and better into a respecting world. During this lesson we learned a lot from Carla Harris who to me is a symbol for equality because in her speech she does nothing but uplift everyone and talks about her hard work and dedication and overcoming of the odds. She said an amazing quote stating: “Fear is just false evidence of things appearing real” ("2021 Laetare Medalist Address" by Carla Harris - Moreau FYE Week 5) which is in a way how a lack of equality happens because of people's fear for change, reform, innovation,etc. The reason we as a society cant progress is because of people's false perception that stems from fear of what they deem a perfect society to be. As a whole we need to move forward and progress into an equal and fair world. Now, in week 6 of our Moreoau exploration we talked about ourselves and our story. This lesson was a really good one for me because it allowed me to explain a bit of my life and how I 3 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4 struggled with fitting in because of my background of speaking both Spanish and English. Since in my childhood I was picked on for living a double life I never really fit in. This in a way kind of relates to why I'm so interested in equality because if it weren't for the lack of equality I experienced growing up I probably would not have been as invested in the topic because I would have not experienced it first hand. This can, for example, be seen in my poem in which I state that I “[feared] that one day both my worlds could collapse on me as I try[ed] to juggle assimilating into two different worlds. Two different worlds that don't get along. Two different worlds where I feel I don't belong.” ("Where Im From" by Victor Trejo - Moreau FYE Week 6) In this line you can sense the fear in me because I was tired of living in two worlds fearing that they would one day fall apart. As a final point, in our last and most recent lesson we discussed identifying perspectives and the dangers of the single story. Which all correlate very well with the topic I have been discussing about why I believe in Equality. In this lesson we watched a superb video in which i got the quote: “how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story” ("Danger of the Single Story" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Moreau FYE Week 7) which I interpreted to be how we can fall easily into prey of the single story because of how easily we believe stories told to us by others. The single story is very dangerous because it leads to stereotypes and racism which are some of the limiting factors in why equality is such a hard issue to reform and work on. Ultimately, I believe that equality is a fundamental human right but our society is so corrupt and messed up because of racism, stereotypes, and of course the single story that it makes it hard to progress as a society. I am thankful for my Moreau class because it has in a way taught me to get my ideas flowing and start using what I learn in class and apply it to other classes and other topics such as how I applied our various lesson of each week into Equality. 4 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F0eobpXC6q9wJ2_xIdzJu-7dJ7cFLCDN/view?usp=sharing https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story 5