Moreau Integration Three - (3/3/22) Kurama 1 3/3/2022 Moreau Integration Three A Life Well Lived During my third semester at Notre Dame, I have been exposed to a variety of new experiences that have made me question and define what a “life well-lived” means to me. Through being exposed to new environments and being encouraged to reflect on these deep questions, I have begun to further develop my beliefs and ideologies in many regards. Moreau has helped me in recognizing and documenting some of these changes that I would not have otherwise noticed. For example, there are many interpersonal changes that I have undergone already that Moreau has helped me notice within myself. In this essay, I will discuss how some of the Moreau class material has impacted my understanding of what a “life well-lived” means for me. I will aim to share my thoughts while connecting to the Moreau class material from this semester. I will aim to seek greater clarity in my life through trying to get a better understanding of what some of the bare essentials are. The quote, “Half the confusion in the world comes from not knowing how little we need” (Iyer, 2014) stood out to me because I believe that this idea is often overlooked. From my experience, whenever society or various communities are faced with challenges, one of the first approaches is to look and see what is lacking and what additional resources can be provided to suppress/approach the problem. However, oftentimes it is overlooked that maybe the most straightforward solution is to refocus and aim for concentrated simplicity. I think that in order to better understand the kinds of lives that we as members of society lead, we need to understand the bare essential factors that are required to strive towards our goals. Through these readings it is implied that by overcomplicating various factors in an attempt to solve problems, we may unintentionally bog down these necessities and lose focus on what truly matters. Instead, if we were to approach every problem with a clear focus and not stray too far from the central goals then we would not overcomplicate, and hence we would lead more meaningful and prosperous lives. I believe that one of the ways in which we can live a more prosperous and fulfilling life is to connect with others on a more personal and interconnected level and experience a wide range Kurama 2 of moments/emotions. The quote, “...You learn there is meaning in suffering, but to truly understand that you have to first suffer yourself. It tests your faith, but in the end I found strength, and as a priest I wanted to help others find their own strength, even in the greatest of suffering” (Hesburgh Film) stood out to me in the whole film because of its deeper meaning on the understanding of what inspires some to live lives that they believe to be fulfilling. Oftentimes, in order to understand others on a more personal level, it requires that you first experience similar emotions in order to truly understand the pains, excitements, etc. Otherwise, these support systems are shallow and feel more disconnected and artificial. I think that in order to better understand what inspires some people to live a fulfilling life we must experience a wide range of emotions/situations. I think there is tremendous value in the uncomfortable…living through times that are tough in one way or another challenges to heal in many ways that we had not previously believed to have been possible. Through these experiences we will be able to connect with more people on a meaningful and more personal level, and ultimately live a more prosperous and fulfilling life in doing so. I think that it is important to ask questions that help us to understand what our true motivations are. The quote, “Sister Aletheia rejects any suggestion that the practice is morbid. Suffering and death are facts of life; focusing only on the ‘bright and shiny’ is superficial and inauthentic. ‘We try to suppress the thought of death, or escape it, or run away from it because we think that’s where we’ll find happiness,’ she said. ‘But it’s actually in facing the darkest realities of life that we find light in them’” (Ruth Graham, NY Times) stood out to me for many reasons. I both agree and disagree with the ideas presented in this article. I also believe that there is a lot of truth in the idea that facing what we find to be intimidating or daunting/dark is where we usually end up finding the “light.” However, I also believe that thinking about death every day may create some paranoia and lead people to believe that each day is a race against the clock. While I see what the idea is that this article is trying to portray, I think that it would be much more effective to just acknowledge the concept of death and to use it as one of many motivators for good…not necessarily as something that must be remembered each and every day. I think that in order to better understand what questions lead a life well-lived, we must first understand what values motivate ourselves and those around us. Ultimately, it is these various motivations, whether tied together with emotions, thoughts, ideas, etc…, that make each day meaningful. With this in mind, even a day “wasted” with intention is a meaningful day because Kurama 3 of intentions of doing so. I believe that it is not necessarily what we do with our lives, but that we do what we do with intention, righteousness, and what makes us more happy and content. I think that it is important to ask questions about what we can do or don’t do each day that could help us each strive towards our goals more effectively. The quote “You have to know yourself first - your values, interests, personality, and skills (VIPS) - before you can make effective career choices. The only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life!” (Meruelo Family Center for Career Development) stood out to me because I think that there is a lot of truth to it. “Textbook thinking”, anticipation, and planning can only help so much. There comes a point where the most effective way to understand and learn more about certain factors of yourself is to get out there and put yourself in uncomfort in the real world. People learn from experiencing things first hand themselves, not so much just hearing it from other people. I think that some ways of living a life well lived is to just get out there and get started. I think oftentimes, people get discouraged to get out there and try something new because of the uncomfort, responsibility, or other unattractive factors involved. However, many times this is the only way to seek new opportunities or strengthen existing ones. I think as a society, we have grown too accustomed to the relative comfort of life and don’t spend time thinking about how we can utilize the resources available the best we can in order to lead a life well-lived. Furthermore, one thing that personally stretched my awareness of myself was when in the conversation from Week 5, we talked about my ability to find happiness in almost any situation. I would consider myself a pretty hopeful person as I am always looking for the positive things about certain situations. In other words, even when it is most dark, I always try to turn towards the light. It was also interesting to hear another person’s perspective on my strengths as a person. Things that I usually overlook or don’t consider to be important strengths were things that were brought up in the conversation. It made me realize how easy it is to overlook all of the positive subtleties in the midst of day-to-day stresses and anxieties. I think that the best way to understand this is to first outline methods/techniques to identify and address obstacles within our everyday lives. The quote “We can spend endless amounts of time in self-reflection but emerge with no more self-insight than when we started” (Tasha Eurich, TED Conferences) resonated with me because it just shows that self-reflection can require some practice and focus/knowledge of what to be looking out for/reflecting on before Kurama 4 it is very effective. I think that with some structure, self-reflection can be a really helpful tool for self-improvement in a variety of aspects. Also, self-reflection can be a recovery/mental health resource as it can potentially even have positive mental health benefits with reflection and looking to the positive/constructive side of things. I think that some ways to recognize and evaluate personal obstacles to living a life well-lived is to first self-reflect meaningfully and effectively. Strive to associate yourself with people around you whom you enjoy spending time around – groups that help to raise one another up. Self reflecting effectively can have a great moral satisfaction if done well, as it can incite even further motivations to pursue goals and perform well. This cycle of reflections and motivations will aid in identifying and addressing the obstacles that may inhibit a life well-lived. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the importance of self-reflection, and techniques to best go about doing so. I think that in regards to relationships that are characteristic of a life well-lived, an understanding of what kinds of relationships that we currently have and value is very important to recognize (and whether or not we are content with those relationships). The quote “Why them and not me…” (His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences) stood out to me because it just shows that many times for some reason or another life is not fair and equal for everyone, and that almost always some people can be seen in more advantageous positions than others. Oftentimes, this can leave us wondering what it truly means to be in certain positions, and what responsibilities/factors come with being in certain situations. Also, I think that this concept in-and-of-itself warrants a clarification of the definitions of what some of the more advantageous positions may be. For example, some people may view certain things to be attractive while others may think otherwise. Ultimately, it is important to understand where we as individuals fit in the context of the societies around us and hence what our responsibilities/objectives/goals in each position must be. I think ultimately this concept of evaluating personal advantages/positioning in life compared to others around us can be very obscure in definition (since it can change with each person’s beliefs on certain ideals), but very powerful in context of where we are in our communities/societies as individuals and what responsibilities/goals we should be striving to fulfill given our current circumstances. Also, as Pope Francis explained, this idea of “why them and not me…” further shows the importance of how the future worth building must include everyone. Each person is just one placeholder, one piece in the giant puzzle that is our collective future and betterment. Therefore, it is essential to understand our Kurama 5 current place in society, and how to best move forward that benefits the collective interests of humanity as a whole. Ultimately, throughout this semester I have learned a lot and have been exposed to a variety of new experiences. I have begun to further develop my beliefs and ideologies in many regards, and Moreau has helped me to identify some of these changes and how they have impacted my current definition of a “life well-lived.” Kurama 6 Works Cited "Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One "Hesburgh" by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two "Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die" by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three "Navigating Your Career Journey" by Muerelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four "The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There's a Wrong Way)" by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six “Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Holiness Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://okta.nd.edu/app/universityofnotredame_panopto_1/exk13lykiqNLbwS7H357/sso/saml?SAMLRequest=jZLdbuIwEIVfJfJ94oQQKBYgsUWrIrFtVNi92BvkJBOwSDyux2nh7etA%2F%2FamWsmSrdHMnPPNeEqybYxYdO6gH%2BGpA3LBajlju6yo46yY1GE8Ho3C4QSysIiHZZjUUlaT0ahMixsW%2FAFLCvWMDaKYBSuiDlaanNTOh%2BLBIIxTf7aDVAwTkY2jJL35y4KlV1FaukvlwTlDgnM8OhnpKoKq49IY3mn13Hd3Z6w1OguVbGFnpEbjcJdwOB2TtDkf1dP9unjZjO%2FSbMyJkPdELPiJtoQL1ozVsiHo7eWSyHf9iOQWHZbY%2FFC6Uno%2FY53VAiUpEtqrkXCl2Cx%2BrYXHE8U1icTddpuH%2BcNmy4IFEdie4xY1dS3YDdhnVcLvx%2FUn2Yf76IDkoIreIKISW55f3%2F7eA%2FHeMF%2FjXulIkjmx4NQ2msRlSd%2B7M28obD7ts8VlF%2FZL%2Fffl8h2Ezf%2FH9pR%2FEbkqGnHvc1fLHBtVnoNF0%2BDLrQXp%2FLid7fy0%2Bfxa9u93m78C&RelayState=%2FPanopto%2FPages%2FViewer.aspx%3Fid%3D10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9&SigAlg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2F09%2Fxmldsig%23rsa-sha1&Signature=VplOdsS6bzYVC65Nur9AI6gv7NAUOj4oRBYRTRhV1up%2FUmdd3Jt%2F6%2FhYuGEP%2FfiiOPpFqzMQd%2B%2FLNwa3lP7LD8p%2Bb4z4zE1RfrPNlU7MHHa0UH8iqW74yoXiQQg4EDeQUWIE3HMxElgr%2B7jKpp4nQO%2BMCM4i6zpXvxrE8RwmSn57dnVVyzuB2aZoVr9%2B5BQOhhLCdPEEnFGUtSiBzuMjg7siXgY0t45KPr9uaMK4Hm0X5JvkGXADIiT2qz1Ny9%2Btm2P01JLLs6rggL13eewkVJcTGUTrwANrbSRD9%2FpPtb4E%2FinakqUTa21I24GWbkPv2Q90WLIBr%2FyPQIBFT4Najg%3D%3D 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://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript