Larkin 

David Lassen
Moreau FYS
30 November 2021
Looking Back and Looking Ahead
	This first semester of college I have encountered many new challenges and opportunities.  I have admittedly absorbed a few blows, but I have also done my best to take them in stride.  I have reconsidered many aspects of my worldview, both based on experiences I have had and based on materials I have read in my classes.  
	One aspect of existence I have enjoyed analyzing and questioning are different philosophies and ways of looking at morality.  My sense of what is right and wrong has been challenged from numerous sources already.  I have been exposed to much more of the world than I previously had been, both in controlled academic settings and in social ones.  In my seminar, we have read Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments, and Machiavelli’s The Prince (in addition to several other books).  Machiavelli presented a very interesting opportunity to dive deep into a philosophy which I strongly disagree with.  I have found that it is always beneficial to read things with an open mind, and that it is possible to do so without making yourself too vulnerable to persuasion.  As such, I was able to consider Machiavelli’s assertion that honesty should only be exercised when it does not place the person at a disadvantage and take it with a grain of salt, maintaining my belief in the importance of honesty, particularly in situations where it would be disadvantageous to tell the truth.  Similarly, in Moreau we read an excerpt from a fictional work by C.S. Lewis, portraying Satan discussing his strategy of temptation with one of his demons.  At one point, Satan asserts that “To decide what the best use of [human undulation] is, you must ask what the Enemy wants to make of it, then do the opposite.” (The Screwtape Letters Chapter 8 by C.S. Lewis - Moreau FYE Week 12).  I found this to be an interesting way of looking at things, and an unconventional one.  Typically, it would seem more logical to form enemies based on opposing views and beliefs, but in this circumstance, Satan’s views and beliefs are based on his status as the enemy of God.  We do occasionally see this in politics.  Although the American system of government is generally brilliant, one of its downfalls is the rise of the two-party system.  As a result of this system, we have reached a point where political views are often formed not based on personal beliefs, but rather on either aligning with a certain party or opposing another party.  Reflecting on new ideas and applying them to modern phenomena has been one of the more enriching aspects of my academic experience thus far.  
	Another valuable reflection has been on the aspects of community.  This has admittedly been one more or less forced on me by the Moreau modules, but it has been fruitful nonetheless.  One of our readings claims that “Contrary to popular opinion, community requires leadership, and it requires more leadership, not less, than bureaucracies,” (“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community” by Parker J. Palmer - Moreau FYE Week 11).  This is an interesting but valuable take on community, as communities are traditionally thought of as small, agreeable, cohesive, tight knit groups of people that require no formal organization or structure.  However, achieving this is nearly impossible and would likely require said community to be a small intensely homogenous population, otherwise conflict will inevitably arise with no protocol with which to regulate and resolve it.  Additionally, a community without any leadership has no direction, as it will have difficulty ever establishing any singular goals to work towards.  Furthermore, any hope of achieving a goal requires creating a detailed plan in order to reach both the end goal and the checkpoints along the way.  Community functions, whether they be regarding conflict resolution, collective direction, or any other number of situations that will inevitably arise within any group of individuals, require leadership in order to be addressed efficiently and effectively.  This is why the United States does not hold a nationwide vote on every bill, and also why Congress is currently in gridlock, unable to reach any mutually agreeable conclusion on seemingly every relevant issue.  
Another important aspect of a community is its makeup, and this has been a struggle everywhere in America for as long as it has existed.  Racial disparity still cannot be ignored today, even though many would like to think that racism and racial advantage ended with Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Act.  Unfortunately, race is an issue we must still reckon with, and it is critical that we all take it as an individual responsibility to ease this pain.  We can start by being conscious of the way we carry ourselves, both outwardly and inwardly.  A reading that discusses whether or not to teach Critical Race Theory in Catholic schools states that “It [‘it’ being the principle that all people are made in God’s image and likeness] places on us the moral obligation to consider every person as our brother or sister, our sibling or neighbor, regardless of social constructs such as race. Therefore, it approaches racial differences similarly to those who prefer that we emphasize our common humanity,” (“Should Catholic Schools Teach Critical Race Theory?” by Christopher J. Devron, S.J. - Moreau FYE Week 10).  While this certainly sounds nice, and can be advantageous in very basic social interactions, it can be an extremely dangerous and unhelpful mindset to have when looking at any major racial issue.  This practice is often referred to as being ‘color-blind,’ with the idea being that refusing to see color allows one to treat each person equally.  While equality is wonderful, a ‘color-blind’ solution will not fix a ‘color-aware’ problem like the ones we face.  The challenges facing us are ones that are the product of past decisions that were based specifically and intentionally on race, making it incredibly difficult to deduce solutions that do not account for race.  Furthermore, this mindset often leads to people ignoring the problem, as the problem only exists if we consider race.  Although it is extremely difficult for those of us that benefit from the system, it is imperative that we reckon with the flaws and injustices within it.  It may be hypothetically possible, but it seems pretty unlikely that a government designed by slave owners was built to be equitable to people of all backgrounds.  This is not to completely discredit their design, as they brilliantly created a system that was racially biased but had numerous mechanisms built in that were capable of correcting its flaws.  The founding fathers were very aware that they could not account for every future issue that might arise, and therefore gave the different branches of government the ability to correct themselves and each other at their own discretion and constitutional obligation.  A significant problem today is that while we have eliminated aspects of government that specifically and actively discriminate against one group of people, we have not made significant steps to ease the pain caused by historical injustices.  Additionally, it is impossible for a government to control every aspect of its population to ensure total equality.  The people need to regulate themselves, and this comes through education.  After the Civil War, the Daughters of the Confederacy brilliantly set out to write history textbooks that would paint the South and its leaders in a kinder light, in order to forever skew the view of this history.  It worked extremely well, and the effects of this continue to persist into the 21st century, with textbooks written as recently as 2010 claiming that Robert E. Lee was opposed to slavery and racism and only fought for the Confederacy out of loyalty to his (and my) home state, Virginia (this is blatantly false: while he was not a fervent proponent of slavery, he owned slaves and was a well-documented white supremacist).  Still today, a shocking number of Americans believe the Civil War was not about slavery.  These actions prove the value of education, and speak volumes to the potential benefits of teaching critical race theory.  It will foster an environment in which the next generation will not only be more motivated to change their own government, but will be generally more focused on equity in their daily lives.  Overall, it has been beneficial to consider the different aspects of community and how I can better mine at Notre Dame and beyond.
Lastly, I believe the most important consideration has been that of my own goals and priorities.  College is nothing if not a period of nonstop self-discovery.  Our Week 9 reading told us “Instead of asking, ‘What should I do?’ or ‘What would my friend/parent/significant other expect me to do?’, ask yourself, ‘What do I want to do?’ and ‘What do I think is best?’,” (“Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit” by Julia Hogan LCPC - Moreau FYE Week 9).  This has been a huge priority as of late, as I attempt to discover what I am both passionate about and gifted at to discern my major.  It has been difficult to part from the expectations of others and instead consider only my own, but I have certainly made some progress.  I have faith in my own judgment, so I know I will eventually come to the best decision for me.
My first semester of college has been an extremely important period in my life, and I believe the following years will be equally if not more formative.  My experiences in the classroom and outside of it have certainly helped me to gain perspective and reevaluate my values and my plan for the future.