Moreau Integration 3 De Leon 1 Leonardo De Leon Professor Anthony Polotto FYS 10102 04 March 2022 The Kind Dreamer Today, we honor the life of a good man. A man who laughed, loved, and most importantly hoped. A man that did so little, yet did so much at the same time. Although he was never aware of it, his small acts of kindness went unnoticed and everyone who joins us here today can vouch for the impact he has left behind in our lives. He would of course deny such statements and say it wasn’t a big deal. However, I hope he knows how much his simplicity inspired the lives of many. Today, we remember the life of Leonardo De Leon. Leonardo had an undeniably cherished talent. Although many of you might think it was his great intelligence, it might surprise you what truly was the most admirable trait of this man. Leonardo was quite the stubborn fellow as many of you can agree, but it was that resilience that made him stand out. His ability to learn and improve was unlike no other. This man could fall hard on his knees. Many of us have witnessed his infamous mid-life crisis scenes. However, just as we would see him so desperately stressed out, we would turn around and before we knew it, he was back on his feet ready for his next endeavor. He knew how to learn from his mistakes and would embrace his failures. He admitted when he was wrong. Of course he had pride, but he knew that this was the right approach in life. They say that “It is only by stepping farther back and standing still that we can begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means, and to take in the larger picture”(“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico lyer- Moreau FYE One). Only through this process was Leonardo able to constantly become a better artist at his https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ De Leon 2 Leonardo De Leon Professor Anthony Polotto FYS 10102 04 March 2022 profession. He was great at practicing self-reflection. Once he saw where he was going wrong, he was able to devise a plan and his stubborn head would reach yet another breakthrough. He knew that, “Why questions can draw us to our limitations; what questions help us see our potential.” (“The right way to be introspective” by Tasha Eurich- Moreau FYE Week 6) Leonardo thrived under this mentality for he didn’t beat himself up for every mistake. He instead owned up to each flaw and thought of ways to overcome his negative experiences. He knew that his potential in life would be hindered if he broke his head over his failures. This habit was a huge part of his success both in his personal life and his career. I remember the day he received his medical license. We all knew that moment would come someday where we would see the dreams of a little boy become a reality. We knew that his passion for helping others would be reflected in the career he chose to pursue. Of course, it also helped that he carried a big brain with him. “The best career choices for a person are those that allow him/her to implement as many parts of his/her self-concept as possible” (“Navigating your career journey by CCD- Moreau FYE Week 4). We can all agree that Leonardo nailed it with his job as a physician. He was able to open up his own clinic where worked towards ameliorating the well-being of the patients he cared so much for. His love for science also assisted him throughout his journey. He was passionate about learning more of the human body and ways to improve your health. He even loved fitness and somehow managed to squeeze in his gym sessions into his busy schedule. We may never know if Leonardo was the best doctor, but we can be happy to know that he was https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ De Leon 3 Leonardo De Leon Professor Anthony Polotto FYS 10102 04 March 2022 the best doctor he could ever be. When it comes to his personal life, we can agree that Leonardo never had huge groups of friends swarming around him. Nonetheless, the few people he did have, he cared for deeply and developed intimate, lifelong relationships with. He was indeed, “a person who prioritizes unity and unconditional care for others” (Moreau FYE Week 5). He loved his family and friends more than anything in the world. He was always attentive to their needs and was always willing to assist them in any way possible. He was a selfless man who in-part sacrificed his efforts to make his loved ones smile because their happiness meant the world to him. He didn’t discriminate with the relationships he built either. He had random friends that he met from all over the world. It didn’t matter how different their backgrounds were, Leonardo always found something special to bond over for and to grow together under. He knew that, “We have a chance, sometimes, to create a new jurisdiction, a place of astonishing mutuality, whenever we close both eyes of judgment and open the other eye to pay attention” (“Chapter 8 Jurisdiction”- Moreau FYE Week 7). Leonardo made sure to always maintain an open mind towards every person he met. He acknowledged that their say mattered, no matter if they disagreed along the way. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness for the people that they are and no one should be afraid to be themselves around others. He was truly an advocate for inclusivity. He learned this major lesson from his time studying at Notre Dame. One of the major missions of this university was to give every student an equal opportunity to have a voice and representation. They created a model explaining how “at a university, you can’t censor the ideas https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/35977/files/523831?module_item_id=167962 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/35977/files/523831?module_item_id=167962 De Leon 4 Leonardo De Leon Professor Anthony Polotto FYS 10102 04 March 2022 if they disagree with your own” (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley- Moreau FYE Week 2) ). Through these teachings, Leonardo learned to be more welcoming and accepting of the people around him regardless of the apparent differences. Leonardo knew what it was like to feel alone and thus was always there to listen to others. He gave each and every person he met the same level of respect and refused to turn anyone away because of previous experiences. He was a safe haven for many. Ultimately, the life of Leonardo De León was certainly one that was well-lived. He spent his best years working on his most passionate projects in medicine, while caring and cherishing the moments he spent with his loved ones. He never let any unfortunate event change his mind about life and instead used them to fuel his pursuit for a more accomplished life. Although he was a hopeful man, he understood that, “Suffering and death are facts of life; focusing only on the bright and shiny is superficial and inauthentic” (“Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die” by The New York Times- Moreau FYE Week 3). That’s why he cherished every shortcoming he experienced because he knew those were inevitable parts of life. However, it is up to us to choose what to do with the lessons learnt. May he Rest In Peace. https://okta.nd.edu/app/universityofnotredame_panopto_1/exk13lykiqNLbwS7H357/sso/saml?SAMLRequest=jZJBb%2BIwEIX%2FSuR7YhISQi1AYkGrItE2Kuwe9oJMMoBF4nE9Tgv%2Fvg603e4F7cnWaJ7f%2B2Y8ItnURkxbd9DP8NICuWAxH7NNDnEFu10Syu0gDVOZV%2BEwTwdhNozzfpJuB8NByYLfYEmhHrMk6rFgQdTCQpOT2vlSL0nCXj%2FspeskFlkisjjK7vI%2FLJh7F6WluygPzhkSnOPRyUhXEVQtl8bwVqvX7nV3xp1GZ6GSDWyM1GgcbmIOp2Pcr89H9fK43L6t8vt%2BlnMi5B0RC36iLeGCNWY7WRN08QpJ5F%2F9qhQWHZZY%2F1C6Uno%2FZq3VAiUpEtq7kXClWE0flsLjie21icT9el2ExdNqzYIpEdiOY4aa2gbsCuyrKuHX8%2FIv2Vf66IDkoIo%2BIKISG15c7%2F7cA%2FEuMF%2FiXulIkjmx4NTUmsRlSbfTmQ8UNhl13eKyC%2FtNf1suP0HY5H9ij%2Fg3k6ujEY%2B%2BdzEvsFblOZjWNb7NLEjnx%2B1s66fNJ1fZv99t8g4%3D&RelayState=https%3A%2F%2Fnotredame.hosted.panopto.com%2FPanopto%2Foauth2%2Fconnect%2Fauthorize%3Finstance%3Dokta%26client_id%3D452f00ad-d9d5-457c-9e46-ad6a017a54f0%26scope%3Dapi%2520viewEmbeddedContent%26redirect_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fnotredame.hosted.panopto.com%252FPanopto%252FPages%252FAuth%252FTokenRedirectHandler.aspx%26response_type%3Dcode%26state%3DeyJyZXR1cm5VcmwiOiIlMmZQYW5vcHRvJTJmUGFnZXMlMmZWaWV3ZXIuYXNweCUzZmlkJTNkMTAxNTkzNzktN2VjYS00NTQ5LTg1ODEtYWI5NTAwYzllY2Q5Iiwic2V0VG9rZW5PbldpbmRvdyI6InRydWUifQ%26limitTokenTime%3Dtrue%26PanoptoToken%3Dtrue%26redirected%3Dtrue%26clientKey%3D452f00ad-d9d5-457c-9e46-ad6a017a54f0&SigAlg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2F09%2Fxmldsig%23rsa-sha1&Signature=Sp5mBBU6nJRMkkZzzDILYmpYAkNLyxBl3NHSqtbPYaKK4UD%2FrjHRwbi1IK5P%2FrNyAbSQR1W5vW6Hcb9N465iPDVGxtTrF5YBjZZJhN%2FZEx1r9E7pRgkYCgy0PZD6fpVtgDB1jyUShTZXe6%2Fg3yphYmtEanIMGz%2FaoawE0GsEOvkFa0sWbTxWQa93h%2Br2GqC%2B8RkKbegVHDiFApXYeMYvrlpT0aXt6ejdrCjNMHYSgVVf%2BzLBfi5pM6Jk01XTe7WIWKve4d0fFjNUJs3GiTHhbmNdV5UkkQuupzBy26%2BNnqIZYFYxxvX%2BVhFckyyvYzO4FcyaKnrRFEn8TvwV4zsG5A%3D%3D https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html