Final Integration Professor Espeseth Moreau 3/19/2022 Finding Meaning in Every Moment “Memento mori is: Where am I headed, where do I want to end up?” (“Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). After reading about memento mori, I realized that in order to live a meaningful life that I can be proud of when I die, I need to find meaning. However, I do not only want a few moments that I can be proud of but rather I want an accumulation of impactful moments. We only get married once, have children a few times, and only celebrate birthdays once a year. However every other day we wake up, eat, get ready, and have a dozen interactions with others. It is these so-called mediocre moments that we forget when we do not make the most out of them. Thus, my mission statement is to make mediocre moments meaningful by having a sense of purpose. At this point in time, many of my moments are consumed by stress. It is said that “stress will be the epidemic of the twenty-first century” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). With the constant approach of exams, papers, and the looming possibility of medical school, I have felt the pressure to excel daily. I often do miss being able to be carefree, and never having to worry. However, I’ve found that “[t]he purpose of my life is not simply about overcoming suffering. Suffering is part of our lives. It is always there, but it is about how to respond to suffering from God” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week Six). I think it is unrealistic to expect that at some point, I will be free from hardships. However, understanding how to embrace the good and bad moments as a part of who I am is so important https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/ to how I can approach every day. I hope that I can develop a better attitude towards hardships and see them as a part of who I am. I have come to understand that “[e]very experience shapes you in some way, whether you realize it at the time or not!” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Moreau Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). Being able to learn from the good and bad moments has been so impactful. However, to become a person who I can be proud of I need to fill my time with positive experiences. The experiences of helping others as well as surrounding myself with others who lift me up will give me the avenue to develop into a better person. One of the things that drew me to Notre Dame is the spirit of inclusion that they have fostered. Their mission statement says, “Christians have found their life together enriched by the different qualities of their many members, and they have sought to increase this richness by welcoming others who bring additional gifts, talents and backgrounds to the community” (“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” by du lac: A Guide to Student Life - Moreau FYE Week Ten). These past few years, Notre Dame has created a more diverse community with each new class. I have really appreciated the effort being made because this allows me to surround myself with people different from myself and become better informed. The legacy that Father Hesburgh created also created the legacy and spirit of doing what is right. In the documentary that followed his life, it stated, “This was someone who was totally committed to his country, to his faith, and to what was right” (“Hesburgh” produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). I am so glad to be a part of a community that is not self-serving but rather can join together to serve others. I have seen the dangers that occur when “[b]ubbles become echo chambers when groups give up on tolerating diversity of opinion” (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND Blaschko - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). I think that I can find a wider purpose by working against echo chambers and advocating for others. Pope Francis stated, “[w]e can only build a future by standing together and including everybody” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). I think the most important way that I can make the most out of the mediocre moments is by standing up for what I believe in whenever I can. I believe in equality and inclusion, and if I can stand with others in times of need I would be able to find my purpose. “Solidarity is about our relationship with the other, and through the practice of accompaniment we make it real and move it forward” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together ” by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). The relationships that I have been able to form thus far have formed the most memorable times. We have gone through many tough times together, but I’ve never been able to laugh as hard as when I am with them. The Congregation of the Holy Cross states, “As disciples of Jesus we stand side by side with all people. Like them we are burdened by the same struggles and beset by the same weaknesses; like them we are made new by the same Lord’s love; like them we hope for a world where justice and love prevail” (“Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross” by the Congregation of Holy Cross - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). Outside of my personal relationships, I hope to make the moments of my professional life meaningful by being able to form a relationship with my patients. I have been able to scribe for a pediatrician last summer, and the relationship she had with the parents and children were inspiring. She was a part of their emotional support system, and the large impact I could see that she was making was especially inspiring. “God’s grace prompts human activity to assist the world in creating justice grounded in love” (“University of Notre Dame Mission Statement” by University of Notre Dame - Moreau 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 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://holycrosscongregation.org/holy-cross-resources/constitutions/2-mission/ https://www.nd.edu/about/mission/ FYE Week Thirteen). I hope to be able to advocate for my patients in the future, in a similar manner that she was able to. In this way, I can personally work against injustice in my own way. “The process of discernment is an ongoing, lifelong endeavor” (“Week Five Dsicernment Conversation Activity” Moreau Activity - Moreau FYE Week Five). While I may not have the answers or complete understanding to be able to accomplish everything right now, I hope that I can learn and develop more throughout college and whatever else may happen. Through these times, I hope I can be positively impacted by my community and impact my community in meaningful ways that I can continue in the future. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit