Week 8 - Integration Three 3/1/22 Predicting my Future Death, itself, is not something that anyone likes to think about. The idea of someone’s life ending, of their spark burning out, and of them entering that final sleep is often avoided. Even when talking about the death of a loved one, people will often use phrases like “passed away” or “moved on to heaven” instead of saying the word “die.” In this way, it is our nature to stay away from any situation, which involves death. If death were only the ending of a life, then there would be no other option but to act in this way. However, death can also be a moment to remember and recall the life of one who passed away. By looking at death through the eyes of remembrance, one can focus on the journey of one’s life instead of how it ended. When thinking about my own eulogy, I am forced to think about what I want in my life and how it will work out. For example, who will be giving my eulogy? Will it be my best friend, a family member, or someone else entirely? Will they talk about my career and possible successes there? Will they talk about my family life? Will they talk about how I made them feel? These are all questions that I had to ask myself when thinking about this essay; however, I could never come up with sufficient answers. The only thing that I could think of was what I hoped the answers would be. I hope that throughout my life, I will seize opportunities as they arrive and that I will live in the moment. This is difficult to do as so many things are occurring every single day, which can cause a person to feel overwhelmed. This idea is shown in a quote from the first week’s materials, which says that “It’s easy to feel as if we’re standing two inches away from a huge canvas that’s noisy and crowded and changing with every microsecond. It’s only by stepping farther back and standing still that we can begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means, and to take in the larger picture” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). There is a consistent flow of information and other things that require a person’s attention. Because of this, it is difficult to take a moment to really be introspective. https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ This can lead to people feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. I know that this happens to me sometimes when I get too caught up in thinking about the future and all the things that I must do, specifically concerning my future career. One of the week four materials states that “Planning your career is much like planning for a trip. There are many details and decisions to make and it requires a lot of exploration and research” (“Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau First Year Experience Course” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). There is much to think about when it comes to choosing a career whether it be intended major, internship, or overall happiness and satisfaction. Therefore, the preparatory elements are very important. However, they aren’t the whole story. Similarly to how the experiences on a tour throughout Europe may be more enjoyable than the viewing of famous destinations, the decisions that you make along with other career moments help to define your future and who you become. In this way, it is the moments themselves and the individual opportunities that are more important than the end result. Because of this, I hope that during my eulogy, the speaker will talk about how I realized that the most important parts of life are the steps along the way and that I lived in the moment. I hope that during my eulogy, the speaker mentions that I was always willing to try new things. During my Career Discernment Activity, when I asked my mother what difficult thing I needed to hear, she said that “I need to get out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons” (“Week 5 Reflection - Discernment Conversation Activity” by - Moreau FYE Week Five). This is something that is extremely applicable to me currently and is something that I hope to work on. Although many things within my comfort zone are enjoyable and bring me happiness, I won’t know what lies outside of it unless I leave it from time to time. By trying new things, I am able to find new passions and dreams of mine that I couldn’t even imagine today. A quote that ties into this idea came from week 3 of Moreau. Father Michael Himes says that “Questions, concerns, issues that you return to over and over again because they fascinate you, they excite you, they really intrigue you, they lure you on, they get you to ask more and more https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vXok5N7Z4a5iqMC7GiK2rzOJ2lgrLdBW8JxxmklGa_A/edit questions. What are your obsessions? Where do you ask more and more questions? This is a very good indication that this is where your joy lies! Spend your life in this way” (“Three Key Questions” by Fr. Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three). These questions, concerns, and issues that will lead me along the path of my life well-lived may not be known to me yet, and the only way that I’ll be able to find these passions of mine is by venturing outside of what is known to me. In this way, by leaving my comfort zone and trying new things, I may be able to determine what really matters to me and how I want to spend my life. However, things may not always work out, especially when trying new things. During the sixth week of Moreau, Dr. Kim says “So I was always so focused on what I cannot do. I complained that I couldn’t move my fingers, I couldn’t move my legs. But then I began to realize that some of the things that I can do, the movements that I have already, can be a blessing for some others” (“5 Minutes” by Grotto - Moreau FYE Week Six). Although a person may fail, particularly when trying new things, he or she should continue to move forward as this setback is merely a change in direction. In this way, problems don’t have to be the end; instead, they are a chance to try something else. For these reasons, I hope that in my future, I will be open to trying new things and branching out from my comfort zone. I hope that the person who reads my eulogy will mention the strong relationships that I formed. Something that I realized the importance of recently are relationships, specifically those with friends and family. Being away from family has been particularly difficult for me due to my family being quite close and due to the fact that I never lived alone before coming to college. To maintain my connections with my family, I call my parents multiple times a week, and during these calls, I’ll often catch them at dinner with my sister, aunt and uncle, or my grandparents, which gives me an opportunity to talk to them as well. For my friendships, I haven’t been doing as much to maintain them, which is something that I want to change. Throughout the semester, I have regularly called my best friend; however, I haven’t reached out to the rest of my friends. I have texted a few of them at different points throughout the semester, but I haven’t talked to https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40306/files/475736?module_item_id=149263 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40306/files/475736?module_item_id=149263 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 many of them since the end of the summer. Because of this, I decided to reach out to more people recently. During the documentary about Father Hesburgh, one of the interviewees described Father Hesburgh by saying “that the Latin word for priest. It was ‘pontifex,’ bridge builder. Ted was a bridge builder between people and God and among people” (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Like Father Hesburgh, I hope to build bridges between different people, forging relationships in the process. I also hope to continue to maintain these bridges into the future. As a part of my new relationships, I hope to join groups that are important to me. In the Week Seven Moreau materials, Pope Francis says “A single individual is enough for hope to exist, and that individual can be you. And then there will be another "you," and another "you," and it turns into an "us”” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). In my future, I hope to join an organization or cause that I am passionate about and that can make a difference in the world. Currently, I am a member of the student club, JIFFI, which offers low-interest loans to people within the South Bend community, acting as an alternative to predatory payday lenders. We also provide lessons on managing one’s finances in order to improve the financial stability of our clients. In these ways, I hope to build bridges between people, to forge new relationships while maintaining old ones, and to make a difference in the world. Although death may be something that I don’t want to think about, considering my future eulogy is important as it allows me to think about the specific goals that I want to accomplish throughout my life’s journey. I want to seize new opportunities and try to live in the moment. I want to be open to new experiences, and through this, I hope to discover new passions of mine. I want to create new relationships while maintaining my old ones. I also would like to become a part of an organization that I am passionate about and that makes a difference. In these ways, by considering what I want in my eulogy, I have realized what I want in my future. https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 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