Integration 3



Integration 3

The One That Will Always Be

Time goes by, and memories are created. People leave, people come, but those
that impact us will always be remembered in our hearts. Oscar, a father, a friend, a
companion, a fighter, was a person that believed in helping others. He was a person
that wanted to generate a change in others, so the world can become a better place. He
represented hope, and joy, because he had the goal of generating an endless ripple of
help, and unity between the human race. He is a person that will be missed, but his
image, and impact will always be remembered, and will always be impactful.

The philosophy through which Oscar lived was a phrase he heard from Father
Theodore Hesburgh in a documentary about his life. In this documentary, Father Ted
talks about how to help your country and mentions, “If you want to do something good, I
think there is a lot of room here to do something good…. Do something about it, it's your
country, it's your problem” ("Hesburgh" -(Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley)- Moreau
FYE Week 2 ). Even though this is a global example, talking about all of a country, Oscar
took this and wanted to start by changing himself and his surroundings. Sometimes we
think that we do not have to do something because it is little and someone else will do it,
but if we think like that, how many more people think that? Who is going to generate the
change? So with this quote from Father Ted, Oscar came to realize that the start of
change is when you do it, not when you think about it and postpone it. For this reason,
Oscar tried to do something everyday where he could help, leading him to a deep
reflection about his career and hunger for finding something in which he could help
people. So with help of the text “Navigate Your Career” by the Muruelo career center at
the University of Notre Dame ("Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for
Career Development- Moreau FYE Week 4). He wanted to combine his biggest skills and use
them to help others and make the world a better place. He became a Chemical
Engineer, and with his career created different things to help around poor communities
in Mexico in which he will always be remembered.

During the process of trying to help, and trying to become the best version of
himself, he created a lot of relationships that will not disappear no matter how much
time goes by. Growing with others, and being vulnerable with others whilst trying to be
better is something that helps humans to become close, trust each other and become a
good relationship. There are a lot of different ways in which humans can help each
other, and become close. Pope Francis says, “Yes, love does require a creative,
concrete and ingenious attitude. Good intentions and conventional formulas, so often
used to appease our conscience, are not enough. Let us help each other, all together, to
remember that the other is not a statistic or a number. The other has a face. The "you"



is always a real presence, a person to take care of.” (“Why the only future worth building
includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences - Moreau FYE Week 7). Looking
at relationships that way, it is easier to appreciate and Oscar really achieved that thanks
to the realization of this during college in his Moreau class.

Even though he was a man that was always working and searching for results
and change, he also knew how to take a break and enjoy with his family and friends
doing things he enjoyed. Watching soccer with friends, playing golf with his family, and
other activities that got his mind out of the world for a little while. He learned that, “It’s
precisely those who are busiest who most need to give themselves a break.”("Why we
need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer, TED- Moreau FYE Week 1). He said that the perfect
balance between a successful life and a life that you do not enjoy is rest, and time with
people you love. It was very important for him to reach out to people that were close to
him to catch up and just know how they were doing. He loved being around his family
and having family activities, he was a good even though not perfect example for his
children and he will always be remembered for that.

Oscar was a person that wanted to do everything as well as possible. He had a
perfectionism that would push him to the limits of his capabilities that he did not know he
was capable of reaching. Of course this was a great virtue of his, but it was something
that would also hurt him because he would demand himself for the best all the time,
without excuses. Nevertheless, coming back to the help of relationships and family, he
saw that virtue/defect on his older son and seeing him suffer like that for little details
made him want to generate a change. So he realized that “introspection can cloud and
confuse our self-perceptions, unleashing a host of unintended questions.” (“The Right Way
to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich, TED Conferences). So with his son,
worked very hard to be more lenient with himself, and they both worked hard to achieve
that. Having the view and introspection that they are not perfect and that mistakes can
happen. That is something that helped the relationship they had to flourish and make
them very close, making Oscar the one that will always be remembered and an
example.

All of the things mentioned before, are the path that Oscar followed to achieve
the major goal of being happy and helping those around him to be happy. He wanted to
find real joy, and transmit that happiness in his life so it can spread around others. He
thought that the combination of happiness and joy was the key to success, and the key
to be considered someone that had a good life. He thought that “Happiness changes
from moment to moment, day to day. Joy, on the other hand, is much deeper and much
more central, it comes from within, and it’s a genuine rightness of how one lives one’s
life.” ("Three Key Questions" adapted from Fr. Michael Himes- Moreau FYE Week 3). Nevertheless,
he believed that there was no way for one or the other to exist without each other. He
knew that happiness was not always an option, but the feeling of joy within would



always be there if it was searched for and achieved. That is why, Oscar will always be
remembered as a very happy and joyful person trying to irradiate others with that.

Oscar was a good father, a good friend, and above all, a good human being. He
was a person that had a very good life, with the combination of relationships, happiness,
and self correctness. Oscar was an example to those around him, and will always be an
example now on. He is a person that will be missed very much, but his spirit and image
will never die, and will always be remembered. A good life is defined by a lot of things,
but all of the things mentioned today are things that make Oscar an owner of a great
life. It is hard to say goodbye, but he will rest now, and go on. Oscar, the one that will
always be.