Integration Three 2/23/22 Week 8 - Integration Three How Should I Strive to be Remembered? In week one of this Moreau course, we discussed and practiced self-reflection. As talked about in the article “Why we need to slow down our lives”, Pico Iyer placed emphasis on the importance of allowing oneself to rest and take a moment out of our busy day to self-reflect. Oftentimes I think to myself that taking a break to meditate or self-reflect sounds nice, but it simply isn't something that I have time for. However, through reading the articles assigned for week one of this Moreau course, I realized that it is not a matter of having time but instead it is a matter of making time. I will never have time for self-reflection if I don't prioritize it, just like anything else in life. In Pico Iyer’s article, she wrote “Yet it’s precisely those who are busiest, I wanted to tell her, who most need to give themselves a break” ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). This quote really made me reflect on how I choose to spend my time. Although I know that it is still important to work hard and stay focused in life, I realized that at the end of my life, I don't want to look back on my life as something that was only filled with working and studying alone. I want to prioritize time to relax, have fun, and enjoy my time with others because, in my eulogy, I want to be remembered as someone who made time for others and was able to relax and spend quality time with the people that I love. In week two of this Moreau course, we tackled the question of “what inspires a life well-lived?”. Specifically, during this week of the course, we discussed the life of Father Hesburgh and what made it well-lived. Hearing the stories of all of the amazing and selfless acts that Father Hesburgh did during his life was admirable. Throughout his life, he continuously fought to unify people rather than divide them, which is a trait that I find essential in living a life well-lived. In the Hesburgh film, Heburgh says, “We don’t prove anything by burning something down, we prove something by building it up”("Hesburgh" produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). This quote was powerful to me because I feel like it is something that everyone needs to be reminded of, despite how obvious it may seem. In my eulogy, I don’t want to be remembered as someone who tore others down to get ahead, but rather someone who encouraged those around me and celebrated their successes alongside them. In week three of this Moreau course, the material we discussed focused on discerning whether or not you are living a life well-lived. The article titled “Three Key Questions” by Father Michael Himes prompted me to consider whether I am taking my life and the opportunities I am given for granted ("Three Key Questions" adapted from Fr. Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three). One of the three key questions in this article was if the life decisions that I am making bring me joy, which caused me to think deeply about how I am choosing to live my life. In my eulogy, I want to be remembered as a happy person, ideally, someone who didn't waste away my time in life with things that didn’t bring me joy. This should seemingly be an attainable goal, considering the amazing opportunities I have been given and the amazing people that surround me, however, oftentimes I find myself straying away from this goal unintentionally. It can be easy to fall into a monotonous pattern of daily activities of which few of them bring me https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/16258 2/23/22 Week 8 - Integration Three authentic joy, however, this week’s material made me realize that I need to be more intentional about how I spend my time because it is not everlasting. In relation to this topic of how I chose to spend my time in life, in week four of this Moreau course we discussed the importance of trying new things and testing the waters. As stated in the Career Development article we read for week four of this course, “ The only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life!”("Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). Week four of this course was helpful for me because it made me realize what I enjoy doing and what I would possibly like to pursue as my career in the future. In addition to this, it also emphasized to me the importance of trying new things and being open to new experiences because you never know what will strike your interest. Ideally, I would like to pursue a career that brings me joy and fulfillment, so it is important to give myself the opportunity to discover what my interests are. In my eulogy, I want to be remembered as someone who truly enjoyed life every step of the way. A career takes up so much of one’s life, so it is important to me to enjoy my career. In week five of the Moreau course, I had a conversation with my mom about what she thinks my strengths are ("Week Five Discernment Conversation Activity" - Moreau FYE Week Five). It was nice to have this conversation with someone that knows me so well because I was able to learn from a different perspective about when and how I excel in different situations in life. For example, it was helpful to hear my mom’s response to the question “Can you reflect on a specific episode when you saw me “in the zone,” when I was at my very best? What was I doing? How/Why does this episode demonstrate my best self?”. My mom told me that I am most in the zone when I am doing the things I am most dedicated to or love doing to most, such as painting, drawing, and working on my hobbies in general. This made me think about the fact that I haven't made time for most of my hobbies since I have started college and that I want to make it a priority to do so in the future. When thinking about how this relates to my eulogy, I would like to be remembered as someone who cared immensely about what I created and the impact that I had on the world not just through my work, but also during my free time. I don’t want my hobbies and passion for certain things to diminish as I get older. In week six of this Moreau course, we discussed the obstacles that we encounter when striving for a live well-lived. As Dr.Kim said in the video we watched for week six, “Suffering is part of our lives, it is always there, but it is about how to respond to suffering with God” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr, Grotto - Moreau FYE Week Six). I really took a lot from watching this video because it made me realize how important it is to never stop being grateful for what we have in life, regardless of the struggles we are going through at the moment. Despite the obstacles and hardships that Dr.Kim went through, he remained grateful for what he did have, and still obtained a life well-lived. This outlook on life was extremely admirable and it is how I aspire to be in my life. Your mindset on life has the power to completely change how you live your life, and I aspire to live life with the mindset of optimism and gratitude. When I reach the https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit?usp=sharing https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/145971 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/145971 2/23/22 Week 8 - Integration Three end of my life, I want to look back and believe that I made the most out of what I was given and tried my best every day to be the best version of myself. In week seven of this Moreau course, we discussed the importance of having strong and meaningful relationships in life. Pope Francis touched on this in his speech that we listened to for week seven’s assignment (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences - Moreau FYE Week Seven). In this speech, Pope Francis talks about how we are not meant to live life alone in judgment and seclusion. One of the most enjoyable aspects of life is spending time with people and being inclusive and welcoming to others. In my eulogy, I want to be remembered and loved by many. I want to have had an impact on others in a positive way, and be recalled as someone who was inclusive and loving towards others at all times. 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