Prelab_Lab3 Moreau Integration 3 Effort in Kindness and Connection I want to thank you for being here today to celebrate the life of . There is a lot to say about Hugh; however, if was to be described in just one word, the most suitable word would be effort. Kindness, humor, strength, courage, and even intelligence are all subjective and based on one the view of or comparison to others. Some may have described Hugh as shy, while others knew him to be outgoing. Still, the amount of effort he demonstrated in every aspect of life set him apart. Although one’s effort may also be subjective, it is only subjective to the individual. Effort is relative only to the effort they put forth in the past and Hugh never failed to try his hardest in every aspect of his life. Oddly enough, what defined a life well-lived for Hugh was not based on objectivity. Hugh did not care about the job he had, the clothes he wore, or even the amount of money he accumulated. Instead, the thing that Hugh wanted most in the world is a feeling that no one could ever truly know: knowing that he was important to someone else. Hugh dedicated his life to the pursuit of one goal: becoming a mechanical engineer with the hopes of creating things that can only be seen as good. This was a hard task as Pico Lyer once said “The one thing technology doesn’t provide us with is a sense of how to make the best use of technology” (“Why We Need to Slow Down our Lives” by Pico Lyer - Moreau FYE Week One) He spent the end of his high school career and most of his college career working on a program that would help those with disabilities connect to the world around them, weather its driving a wheelchair or typing on a computer. He put all his effort into creating something that will not only allow people to use technology but to feel in control and independent within their lives again. He worked tirelessly driving 2 hours every day over the summer to work on it in a lab at Stony Brook University. Despite the effort Hugh exhibited in order to reach his goals, it would not be incorrect to say that Hugh experienced failure time and time again. While working on the project, playing sports, and even in academics. Hugh never shied away from failure. In the movie Hesburgh, it is said that “one doesn’t speak of human failures as well as human success” (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). In fact, Hugh seemed to speak more of his failures than of his successes. He believed that through discussing his failures like not making his high school basketball team or not being able to finish his project he felt talkimg about it allowed him to learn and move forward. When he was in danger of failing his calc II class in his first semester at Notre Dame he talked about this failure with his professor and his parents. Because he talked about his failure, he was able to make a plan with those he discussed his failure with and create a plan to try again. However, you don’t always get to try again. When Hugh didn’t make the basketball team and discussed his failure with friends, they convinced him to try wrestling ich he continued with throughout college. Hugh found that sharing failure allowed him to create connections, learn and discover new things. Despite failures along the way, Hugh did everything he could to become an engineer. Nevertheless, it was the pursuit of his goal to create something good for others and his love of the process of pushing through failures that is a part large part of engineering that made Hugh become a mechanical engineer. When reading about how one should choose a career path, Hugh considered the question: “Is this vocation / this role / this profession / this way of life that you are considering something you are good at? […] This can only be determined by other people” (“Three Key Questions” by Fr. Michel Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three). Hugh did not believe this at all. When Hugh chose to go to Notre Dame he did so, in the belief the Notre Dame will provide him with the lessons and experiences required to be the person he wanted to be. He believed that he could learn to be good at anything. When he started wrestling a coach told him not to do leg moves in matches or practice because he wasn’t good at it and was better with other moves. However, because he pushed on anyway and it allowed him to win matches that he would never have with the limited skillset his coach wanted him to focus on. Another quote Hugh considered was, “You have to know yourself first— your values, interests, personality, and skills (VIPS)— before you can make effective career choices (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development- Moreau FYE Week Four). Hugh New above all he valued effort, kindness, and friendship, and he was interested in learning how things worked. However, going into college from a pandemic he felt as though he didn’t truly know his personality and he didn’t have any skills. Nevertheless, he knew that through effort and the help of others he could developed the skills necessary to be a mechanical engineer and do something that aligned with his values. In an interview with one of Hugh’s closest friends, Hugh inquired, “What do you think I most value and desire in life?” Hugh’s friend’s response was that Hugh valued “meaningful, long-lasted connections and the ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others” (“Week Five Discernment Conversation Activity” - Moreau FYE Week Five). Hugh desired more than anything else to be a source of good and joy to others. His desire to be good for others didn’t come without struggle. He thought often about the question. “If God is good, why does he allow suffering…?” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr- Moreau FYE Week Six). Even though his greatest desire was to be a source of good he knew that not everyone would think of him that way and its possible that he could even become a source of suffering. But, something that Hugh’s uncle once said is that one can only appreciate and truly experience joy and happiness if they have also experienced sadness. The things and the people that others appreciate in life are those that can offer them happiness or remedy their sorrow. Hugh understood that he was living a life well-lived if someone smiled while he was around, and even if the memory or reminder of this led to some form of happiness. As stated by Pope Francis, “Life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis- Moreau FYE Week Seven.) These interactions with the people both here and not made Hugh’s life well- lived —to have a good group of friends that mutually cared for one another and enjoyed the time they had together. It is also the bad interactions with those who were strangers, or even bullies, because every interaction provided the opportunity to learn and to grow. Hugh would want to be remembered due to the connections and growth experienced by others because of him. Hugh led a life well-lived because he had an impact on the lives around him.