Week 8 Integration Brendan McGinn The Life of a Fruit Fly I’m not saying Brendan’s life only had the value of a fruit fly, but the path was very similar. A fruit fly starts as a larva, which is fairly helpless and relies on the materials of its parents to survive. That, too, is how Brendan’s life started, as does every child’s. But as the larva becomes an adult, it must learn to adapt quickly to its environment. Once the fly spreads its wings for the first time, it enters a whole new world. Brendan spread his wings by entering Notre Dame. While the instincts and values he learned as a child helped guide him, those first six months in his new environment drastically changed him. The first change Brendan learned to make was to slow down. Life at college moves at a thousand miles per hour. Learning how to appreciate the smaller things helped Brendan enjoy his life more and thrive more in his environment. By taking time to himself and not stressing, Brendan was able to find the things he really loved in life and take steps to reaching his full potential ("Why We Need to Slow Down our LIves" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). I remember one thing that really impacted Brendan’s life was a movie about Father Ted Hesburgh he watched. He told me about how much he admired Father Hesburgh’s passion, and how much he was able to get accomplished by being open. Brendan kept this idea close to his heart throughout the rest of his life. He found a passion in sharing his love for technology with those who did not have the same opportunities he had. He was open to working with anyone, whether it was a tenured Computer Science professor or a janitor who had never touched a computer, since knew they all had value to add to his mission ("Hesburgh" by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week 2). I can only imagine what he could have accomplished if he had the time. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SDVigBXg1KOCptB2vSYbFWFyLyX9xnCo/view https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 Brendan lived by a principle that he could go at any time. Unfortunately, he was right, but this mindset helped him appreciate every emotion, every experience, every failure and every success ("Meet the Nun who wants you to remember that you will die" by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week 3). Brendan knew how to see optimism in darkness by simply asking questions. He never said this, but after every win and every loss (like that time he failed a Linear Algebra test), I could see the contemplation in his eyes. He was wondering how the event impacted his life and what his life really was ("Three Key Questions" by Fr. Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week 3) . If I had to guess, I think he came to the conclusion that everything in life matters, but his life shouldn’t be taken too seriously. He tried to enjoy life while it lasted, and now enjoys eternity in peace. One of the hardest parts of losing him is not being able to see what Brendan was going to be able to do with his life. He had so many different paths that he could have taken. Brendan would spend hours reflecting on what he could do with his life. Honestly, he had no idea, but he was excited to explore. He kept trying new things to see what would stick, and all paths seemed to flow back to something with computers. I remember one time in high school he was messing around with these things called Hololenses. I could see the lightning in his eyes and hear the thunder in his voice. I sensed this same atmosphere when he told me about the prosthesis club he had joined at Notre Dame. He found something he loved and that would help people, and was just starting to explore it ("Navigating Your Career Path" by MFCCD - Moreau FYE Week 4). His curiosity and energy always lead him in the right direction. While Brendan would have loved what he did, I know his favorite part would have been the relationships. He loved working with other people in just about everything, such as his boxing club and football team. That was his favorite idea about engineering. One time, he spent https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39695/modules/items/144741 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ three hours going through some database online finding people who he thought did interesting things and reaching out. He called his father after doing which, who reinforced his ideas about his future ("Discernment Conversation Activity" - Moreau FYE Week 5). He told Brendan that life is full of possibilities, so it is important not to be distracted or overwhelmed. Brendan knew to focus on the relationships more than the job itself. He was finding his way in his world, and would have done great things. One way that Brendan changed the most in his short time at college was learning to look inward, as well as outside. In high school, Brendan only ever looked at what was in front of him. Whether it be a football game, a big test, or a fun weekend, Brendan was always worried about the exterior things in life. When he got to college, he realized how unfeasible that really was. In high school, he could always be one of the best at what he was doing. Failure did not occur too often. But at Notre Dame, that simply was not possible. He had to learn to appreciate interior success and feelings, rather than just the exterior ones. He learned how to look at himself so he could understand and appreciate himself ("The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes There's a Wrong Way)" by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week 6). In life, Brendan was learning how to love himself for more than just accomplishments, which was going to be essential in his growth. One of the final parts of Brendan’s transformation as he spread his wings was learning to appreciate all the new experiences and people he was encountering. Before Brendan went to college, his life was fairly sheltered. Then, in a matter of one weekend, Brendan met people with more varying experiences than he ever had before. He met students from different countries, religions, lifestyles, and so much more. I remember Brendan telling me this was his favorite part of college, but it sometimes overwhelmed him. He would be scared that he was not nearly as interesting as the rest of the people here. If this made Brendan turn away from meeting new https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit?usp=sharing https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39695/modules/items/144754 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39695/modules/items/144754 people, his college experience would have been a failure. However, Brendan embraced the newness and grew from all of the new people ("Why the only future worth building includes everyone" by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). He became better, more interesting and well-rounded because of the people he was meeting. Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that the rest of the world will never be able to meet him. The life of a fruit fly all starts the same: as a simple larva existing in the world. As it grows into a fruit fly, it must quickly adapt to a new world. Brendan lived a similar life. He started in a simple, safe childhood, but quickly matured as he entered college. In this new world, Brendan adapted and changed to make himself the best he could possibly be. As the fruit fly begins to fly, though, it enters a dangerous world. Very few flies ever live to the end of their natural life. They live one moment at a time, but no fly can adapt forever. Unfortunately, Brendan’s tale parallels the fly. While there are many aspects to this tragedy, perhaps the greatest is the lost potential. I sit here wondering how far he could have gone. He certainly believed he was going to change the world, and with the incredible growth he had displayed in his first months at college, I have absolutely no doubt he would have.. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39695/modules/items/144759 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39695/modules/items/144759