Week 8- Integration One Oct 14, 2021 Prof. Bryan Reaume Integration One Journey of My Transformation: The Story of Knowing Myself I believe that humans will always have the ability to rise above any situation. We don’t know what life is or why we are in this world; all we know, all we feel, is that we must protect it any way we can. Buddha said it clearly: “Life is suffering.” Life is meant to be challenging and living requires consistent work and review. By default, life is difficult because we must strive to earn happiness and success. Throughout my whole life I was very much vulnerable for being a perfectionist and the majority of the time I have suffered mentally and psychologically. I feel vulnerable to try to get a hundred percent done. However, in the meantime I forget that I have uniqueness in myself and that is the reason I'm not someone else. I believe that I am me and God has an intention on me. I think we all are living an illusion of being perfect and want to be Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos, but we often forget the things about our uniqueness. It is also a presentation of the dilemma of vulnerability as well. I was so surprised to realize that "Vulnerability can lead a person to fear and shame, and at the same time it can lead you to joy and positivity.” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). This is the reason people often consider themselves as vulnerable and this is the source of the question that comes from their inner self: am I the authentic self? (“Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy?” by David Brooks, Moreau FYE Week Two) I believe in authenticity. For the past years, I thought that vulnerability is only the way to mental and psychological destruction. However, now my point of view on vulnerability has changed and I believe that vulnerability also may lead to a person's authenticity (“Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy?” by David Brooks, Moreau FYE Week Two). Our inner world works well when there is an equilibrium in our outer self. To reach peace, we need to surrender to something outside ourselves to gain power https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM within ourselves. We ought to offer ourselves what we love and get what makes us happy by overcoming our desires. We need to know that we have a crystal clear mind and a reflection of our deeds. We are far more essential than our worldly accomplishments. To reach our authentic selves, we need to be aware of our faith and triumph. Indeed, faith is inevitable and beneficial. When I started my college application I was so vulnerable to people's opinions that I hardly realized the value of joy. But the same vulnerability was my source of joy when I got accepted to University of Notre Dame. It reminded me that I think Vulnerability is a characteristic that God makes us strong and learn from our mistakes. The moment when I realized that God has gifted his blessings upon me and gave me the power of uniqueness, I started to feel happy and cheerful. As a result, I could use positivity to my life. Being our authentic self is what we all are looking for and what God wants everyone of us to seek. I immigrated to this country in July 2018 from Bangladesh. The United States was a new country with a new culture, new people, and a new language. The toughest challenge was to learn a new language. I came from a country where people normally speak Bengali and no other languages. As a newcomer, I faced a lot of bizarre problems. Our first two months in this country were full of hardship. We moved from state to state since our parents couldn't find any jobs anywhere. My family struggled for food. Financial barriers almost halted my education and I had a difficult situation brewing in my house. Each day ended with my family hoping for a better tomorrow. Yet I have realized that life is more fickle than I had imagined; it can change at any time. I realized my true potential. I started to trust in my faith. I have realized that the most important journey I could ever have is the journey of self-discovery (The Role of Faith in Our Story by Fr. Pete McCormick, Moreau FYE Week Three). There is something holy inside of me that is asking me to have faith in myself. I started to have confidence in my authentic self. It was as though there was a giant hand reaching out of the sky, picking me up, and placing me backward every time I tried to move forward. In the face of these overwhelming odds, I kept repeating to myself, "Don't stop. You're almost there." It was my faith that empowers me to exceed my comfort zone. From the person who just came from Bangladesh knowing nothing about English to a more confident, authentic entrepreneur who has interned in Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock, my journey of faith is the most empowering experience I've ever had. My faith has taught me life is not an easy path, and if you want to be like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=UniversityofNotreDameCampusMinistry the sun, you have to burn like the sun. Faith has changed my whole attitude of how I see the world and believe in positivity. In our busy lives, we often might feel emptiness in our day-to-day life. I felt overwhelmed with the stress I have in my life: stress from perfection and procrastination. In this dark moment, faith is what guided me to light. The light leads us to the ultimate success. We often underestimate the value Faith can have on our lives, then end up with something we regret. I believe that simply having faith in ourselves can change the whole mindset: inspiring us to be the best version of ourselves. My life took an interesting turn in University of Notre Dame. In my first week, I was so bewildered and felt culture shock every few hours. Before progressing to study at Notre Dame, I anticipated very little to be different from my hometown. Culture Shock was not something that even crossed my mind. Upon my appearance, nevertheless, it took no more than 10 minutes for that to swap. While generally accepted with open arms, I soon understood that being an Asian from New York City would enhance an unexpected and unavoidable identifier. As I introduced myself and even to the people who soon became my most intimate friends, I could not help but notice a kind of wide-eyed enthusiasm.“You’re from Bangladesh!” As soon as my nationality was brought up, I found myself barraged with questions. It is a fun social analysis when meeting new people here. I have learned and realized that whether from Bangladesh or anywhere else, culture shock might rear its head regardless of where you come from. ("Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon, Moreau FYE Week SIX) It does not have to be a counteractive experience, though. So if a nationality identifier gets earmarked on you, rock it. Show them home pictures, stay true to who you are, and try not to take any stereotypical questions seriously. But I understand with the support of a campus community dedicated to my growth and development; I will have the opportunity to explore every interest at Notre Dame. I will find my niche, embark on new adventures, and make friends for life. Altogether, I have realized that life is not always an easy road, and I know that it’s essential to plan, work hard and see our goals through to achieve success and I hope to utilize these skills to be successful in Notre Dame. In my life, I have faced many situations where I acted upon my stereotypes rather than my actual consciousness. Stereotypes are very harmful in a way that it limits your mind in a box of confined knowledge. In analytical studies, hasty http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html generalization is a massive logical fallacy. Hasty generalizations form stereotypes. In her TED Talk, Chimamanda advised us to stop thinking about stereotypes; instead, we should be open to information and respect everyone’s weaknesses ("Danger of a Single Story" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Moreau FYE Week SEVEN). When I decided that I would be majoring in Business, many people laughed at me and advised me to take engineering. Many people urged me to pursue Computer Science since they have stereotypes about Asians that they are good at that. Part of me wanted to pursue Business to prove them wrong. To prove them, Asians can be Hedge Fund Managers and be the next Wolf of Wall Street. I have realized that to pursue the truth, I have to be confident and authentic to myself. Self-discovery is the quest for truth. However, the instant you believe, you have arrived at the fact. It transforms into something else - something unscientific. Self-discovery is the never-ending search for truth, which fades away like the horizon. The horizon is visible. We can make progress in that direction. But we’ll never get there. This isn’t a nebulous invitation to question one’s belief in reality. But it’s a good reminder to keep looking for new evidence to back up even the most well-worn truths. I believe that the best way to forge life-giving relationships would be to establish your intimate relationship with God because HE would guide you throughout your relationships with the other emergent people from your society ("Healthy Vs. Unhealthy Relationships" by The Red Flag Campaign, Moreau FYE Week Four). It has clearly emphasized the importance of a close relationship with God through strengthening your faith and beliefs for HIS will. In the time when I was depressed with my life, I tried to have a reflection on God’s grace in my life. After the reflection I feel good about myself. This is how I want to live my life, with this optimistic attitude that every day is another chance for success. I have seen it first-hand by coming to this country with my family and overcoming hardships. We have the opportunity to enrich our perspective on life, to correct our mistakes, and to simply move on (2021 Laetare Medalist Address by Carla Harris, Moreau FYE Week Five). The intimate relationship with GOD is the most powerful tool that we could use to reach all our plans in life that must be in https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story https://drive.google.com/a/nd.edu/file/d/0B93cIKOnINCLS1JpUzZ5Q1JseGs/view?usp=sharing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4 accordance with HIS will. So, we should constantly be reminded that we should prioritize our GOD in achieving our goals in life. Every morning when I wake up, I want to be excited by the gift of a new day. I know I am being idealistic and that my philosophy on life could be comparable to a calculus limit, unreachable. But I won't give up on it because I can still get infinitely close and that is incredible. This is how I want to live my life, with this optimistic attitude that every day is another chance for success. I have seen it first-hand by coming to this country with my family and overcoming hardships. We have the opportunity to enrich our perspective on life, to correct our mistakes, and to simply move on.