FYS Integration One Assignment: What Do I Believe? FYS 10101-83 Fall 2021 October 15, 2021 Integration One Assignment: What Do I Believe? My Truths I believe that I am an independent, strong-willed individual. This statement is not something I have always been able to tell myself. However, especially over the course of the past semester, I see immense development in myself, due to the experiences that came with moving from home and attending the University of Notre Dame. Although this experience has brought many challenges, I know that I have grown more firm in my own thoughts and positions on all aspects of life, including the aspects of the following “I believe” statements.” I believe that I control the fruitfulness of my environment. One prominent aspect of moving from home and attending Notre Dame is the change from seeing people I have known my entire life everyday, to being surrounded by strangers. Trying to be vulnerable with people I was unfamiliar with was a definite challenge for the first few weeks of school. However, Dr. Brown says, “They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful. They didn't talk about vulnerability being comfortable, nor did they talk about vulnerability being excruciating … They just talked about it being necessary.” (“The Power of Vulnerability” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1Wb M-Kd0&index=4 by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One) Through this quote, I learned that the need for vulnerability outweighs the both positive and negative possible outcomes, and gaining the courage to do so leads to personal growth. One reason being vulnerable with new people was difficult at first, was due to the overwhelming amount of people I met daily and the unknown intentions that those people had in our potential relationships. In “Because I Love You - Whiskey,” by the One Love Foundation as part of the #ThatsNotLove campaign, the dialogue says, “Because I love you, I storm out at the bar and leave you all by yourself.” (“Because I Love You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwQ5ur9OZ-g&t=1s by One Love Foundation - Moreau FYE Week Four) The video serves as an important reminder to look out for the signs of a toxic relationship and reevaluate the life-giving aspects of the relationships they share. Therefore, with this video in mind, especially during a time like welcome weekend, I have been able to consciously filter through who I want to surround myself with, to create a good and fruitful atmosphere for myself. I believe everyone has something to say. Another major adjustment I encountered over the first few weeks of class was the change in classroom setting. Larger auditoriums, filled with groups of people who consistently clung to each other made it difficult to get to know everyone and understand the various perspectives swe all had over the same subjects. In the TedTalk entitled “The danger of a single story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says, “All of these stories make me who I am. But to insist on only these negative stories is to flatten my experience and to overlook the many other stories that formed me.” (“The danger of a single story” https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=4 https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/thatsnotlove https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwQ5ur9OZ-g&t=1s https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript#t-1123735 #t-1123735 by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Moreau FYE Week Seven) This quote highlights the need for open mindedness and conversations about differences is very important to a society that is more inclusive and understanding of each other. Keeping this lesson in mind as I have been exposed to so many races, cultures, backgrounds, and stories throughout my time here, I am grateful to know that these conversations do take place and everyone has an equally important perspective to share. I believe that individual experiences and reactions to those experiences are significant to the identity of a person. Coming from a small island with a small range of perspective and experiences, I was very conscious of the differences between my peers and I. In my “Where I’m From Poem,” I wrote, “I am from church bells and school uniforms, from good grades, school clubs, and Bus 1-4-6.” (“Where I’m From Poem” https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EWZ8FvK0itWZUdi7EkoUQn0Df3n97OiGnl409v9DVP4 /edit?usp=sharing by - Moreau FYE Week Six) These are phrases that I connect to because they are significant parts of my life. They are part of what makes me who I am and what has shaped my perspective on things. This encompasses one struggle I have faced recently, identifying with my past while encountering a new environment. I did not know how to respond to all of the new information and experiences I was being exposed to. However, in the video entitled “The Role of Faith in Our Story,” Father Pete McCormick says, “The greatest journey you will ever go on is one of self discovery. On this journey, success, productivity, and failure are an afterthought. What truly matters is authentically responding, to the best of our ability, as the person you know yourself to be, the person that God has created you to be.” (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs&t=439s by Father Pete McCormick - Moreau FYE Week Three) Through the quote, I learned that I would not be authentically responding to my faith at Notre Dame if I were to neglect my previous experiences. Instead, I should integrate my previous experiences and current perspectives into my everyday life, to gain a more complete understanding and identification with myself. I believe that everyone defines their own distinct purpose in life. As I encountered different people with various passions and goals, I struggled with identifying my own goals and the validity of my accomplishments compared to others. In “Should You Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy?” by David Brookes, the speaker describes one way of life as something “that turns you into a shrewd animal, that treats life like a game who slips into a sort of mediocrity where you realize there's a difference between your desired self and your actual self. You're not earning the sort of eulogy you want, you hope someone will give it to you … Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime, therefore we must be saved by hope.”(“Should You Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM&t=1s by David Brookes - Moreau FYE Week Two) The speaker described a good resume as an impressive and good thing to achieve. However, a good eulogy, defined by the strong connections with people made over time, is also very important. I think that personal relationships are not comparable to the relationship a person has with their work, as that relationship could also be rooted in passion and dedication. When talking about the members of the holy cross in the video “Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education,” Father Kevin Grove says, “And what I love about them is that they would never brag about us. Our lives are not our resumes. It's just being who they are as Holy Cross, letting faith https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript#t-1123735 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EWZ8FvK0itWZUdi7EkoUQn0Df3n97OiGnl409v9DVP4/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EWZ8FvK0itWZUdi7EkoUQn0Df3n97OiGnl409v9DVP4/edit?usp=sharing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs&t=439s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM&t=1s and reason, both in their fullness, be applied to every part of life.” (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1 -d0a45c429187 - Moreau FYE Week Five) The quote that highlights a life that instead focuses on meaningful experiences is significant to understanding how stories shape one's journey. I learned that prioritizing a way of going about life while also working towards those goals is how one can make everyday stories significant. I also learned that every goal and accomplishment is valid and contributes to a person’s authentic self. Therefore, I can live both with the intention of creating significant relationships with others and accomplishing personal and academic goals. https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f- References “The Power of Vulnerability” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1Wb M-Kd0&index=4 by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One “Should You Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM&t=1s by David Brookes - Moreau FYE Week Two “The Role of Faith in Our Story” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs&t=439s by Father Pete McCormick - Moreau FYE Week Three “Because I Love You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwQ5ur9OZ-g&t=1s by One Love Foundation - Moreau FYE Week Four “Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1 -d0a45c429187 - Moreau FYE Week Five “Where I’m From Poem” https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EWZ8FvK0itWZUdi7EkoUQn0Df3n97OiGnl409v9DVP4 /edit?usp=sharing by - Moreau FYE Week Six “The danger of a single story” https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript #t-1123735 by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Moreau FYE Week Seven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs&t=439s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwQ5ur9OZ-g&t=1s https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EWZ8FvK0itWZUdi7EkoUQn0Df3n97OiGnl409v9DVP4/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EWZ8FvK0itWZUdi7EkoUQn0Df3n97OiGnl409v9DVP4/edit?usp=sharing https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript#t-1123735 https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript#t-1123735