Microsoft Word - Moreau Integration 4.docx A Life Well-Lived is One where We Respect Others By I believe that pursuing a life well lived will be heavily influenced by the mission statement which I wrote in Moreau Week 13. I said, “I want to be the person that everyone wants to be around” (“QQC 13” by – Moreau FYE Week 13). I plan on taking care of myself both mentally and physically and working to lift up the people around me. To truly have a life well-lived, I believe that the world should be better for having me in it; therefore, I would like to touch as many lives as I can. Having a life well-lived, first, depends on taking care of oneself. You cannot have an impact on others if you don’t have a clear sense of identity and purpose. Self-reflection is an important part of this. In an article on TED, Pico Iyer wrote, “The need for an empty space, a pause, is something we have all felt in our bones” (“Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives” by Pico Iyer – Moreau FYE Week 1). I think it is very important to take time to rest and enjoy ourselves because life is about so much more than stress and work. However, when we look at ourselves, it is important that we do it in the right way. Tasha Eurich says that “evidence shows the simple act of translating our emotions into language — versus simply experiencing them — can stop our brains from activating our amygdala” (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich – Moreau FYE Week 6). What this means is that, if we are not careful of how we are introspective, we can actually prevent our bodies from processing emotions. We have to make sure that we ask questions about what is happening to us and not questions about why is something happening to us. You cannot live a good life alone. Throughout life, it is important to make connections and get to know the people around you. This is a nice feature of the Notre Dame community. Through Irish Compass, you can make connections with people in your career fields and meet people who can mentor you to living a good life (IrishCompass Moreau FYE Week 5). The Meruelo Center for Career Development also offers such opportunities to make connections and emphasizes the importance of allowing your life to move organically. The center says that, “There seems to be this commonly held belief in our society that a major equals a certain career path” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development – Moreau FYE Week 4). It is important that we know that we don’t have to follow one path. Each of has our own path that is not determined by our past but on what we do in the future. The most important part of a life well-lived is to impact others. We need to be leaders in our community who respect all people and treat everyone with dignity. “We have to be willing to hear what others need and to give ourselves in response even when our attempt to respond may not be appreciated” (“Three Key Questions” by Fr. Michael Himes – Moreau FYE Week 3). I believe that what Father Himes is saying is that we need to listen to and respect what others have to say; however, we have an obligation to respond to them honestly, even if they do not appreciate our answer. He is emphasizing that we need to balance the needs and beliefs of others with our own convictions. Father Hesburgh was an excellent example of this balance. He fought very hard to ensure that the world was a better place when he left it, and he worked to treat everyone with respect. One of the things that made Father Hesburgh so successful in changing the world was his respect for all sides of a debate. “True leadership has been the people who could bridge two ideologies” (“Hesburgh” by Barca and O’Malley – Moreau FYE Week 2). Father Hesburgh got people, who would normally never associate, to work together and, in doing so, was able to solve some of the world’s toughest problems. It is extremely hard to bridge an ideology gap. Especially in today’s era of social media, where we are often surrounded by opinions that we agree with. We need to take a special effort to understand the opinions of those who disagree with us. Dr. Paul Blaschko says, “We need to ask ourselves whether our picture of our opponents is accurate and well thought out, whether we might be trapped in the feedback loops characteristic of an echo chamber” (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko – Moreau FYE Week 11). If we really take steps to understand our opponents and view them as partners to value, not enemies to defeat, we can really begin to take steps to heal some of the great divisions within this country. So often, all it takes is just getting to know someone who thinks differently than you. Find out what you have in common because it is so hard to disparage someone you know. Father Boyle talks about how enemy gang members became friends while working for him. He advises us to, “Close both eyes; see with the other one” (“Chapter 8: Jurisdiction” by Fr. Greg Boyle – Moreau FYE Week 7). He is telling us to forget what we assume other people and truly get to know them. He believes that we will be unable to dislike them after that. The University understands the importance of bringing people together from different backgrounds, that is why we have a class of such diverse backgrounds and experiences. I think that du lac mentions something very powerful: “The University of Notre Dame strives for a spirit of inclusion among the members of this community for distinct reasons articulated in our Christian tradition” (du Lac: A Guide to Student Life – Moreau FYE Week 10). I agree with this sentiment that, as Christians, we are called to treat everyone with respect and dignity. I believe that the community we have here offers a great opportunity to begin practicing living a life well- lived. It is one thing to talk about living a life well-lived and another to actually live out your goals. The Holy Cross Constitution says, “For the kingdom to come in this world, disciples must have the competence to see and the courage to act” (Holy Cross Mission Statement – Moreau FYE Week 12). The most important part of a life well lived is action. Sometimes things don’t go as we plan; however, the important thing is that we keep moving forward and making the effort to do the right thing. When Steve Reifenberg went to South American to work at an orphanage, he expected to change these people’s lives. However, he ended up getting extremely ill. “The people I had so earnestly come to serve (and whose lives I had imagined transforming) had to take care of me” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Prof Steve Reifenberg – Moreau FYE Week 9). The people he went to help ended up serving him. Even though he failed to accomplish his goal, he learned valuable life lessons that can help him to make a difference in the future. Therefore, I believe that we should always strive to do the right thing and we should learn from our mistakes.