Moreau W8 S2 Integration Moreau FYE 4 March 2022 Taking Abby’s Life as an Inspiration to Live a Life Well-Lived Rest in peace . Abby was a freshman at the University of Notre Dame studying psychology. Let’s be honest though, we all know she actually had no clue what she wanted to do with her life. She was such a lively and healthy girl, but all of the sudden she perished. Three short weeks ago, Abby was working on her Moreau First Year Experience assignment with her dear friend, Francesca. The assignment was to have a deep conversation with somebody in your life. The final question of the assignment was “What is something that is difficult to say but important for me to hear” (“Discerning a Life Well-Lived Discernment Conversation Activity” - Moreau FYE Week 5)? The discussion between the two girls was going well up until this point. The two shared their responses to the question, but failed to account for the feelings of the other girl. The two left this conversation deeply hurt and angry with one another. As the next two weeks went on, anyone and everyone could sense the tension between Abby and Francesca, though they tried their best to remain cordial. Their feelings of hate towards each other immediately resurfaced when their epic Mario Kart tournament rolled around. They, along with two other friends, raced all 32 courses at once to determine the ultimate Mario Kart champion. Abby and Francesca, both Mario Kart experts, were neck and neck the entire time. As the final race approached, the two girls were tied. As Abby cruised in first the entire “Rainbow https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit Road” race, Francesca tried her hardest to catch up. As Abby approached the finish line, Francesca threw a blue shell. This blue shell exploded Abby, allowing Francesca to win first in this race, and in the whole tournament. Abby was furious. The mutual anger the girls had for each other resurfaced. They began aggressively fist fighting. Their other friends tried to separate the two, but they were not successful. Eventually the fight escalated so much that they approached the fourth floor Farley that had been left open due to the extreme radiator temperatures. Unaware of their location in the room, both Francesca and Abby, still brawling, broke through the window screen and plunged to their deaths in the Farley parking lot. May they, more so Abby, rest in peace. Though Abby’s death was sudden and shocking, Abby would not want us to dwell on this. Abby loved her life and she loved trying to get everything out of every moment possible. If there was down time, Abby was spending it trying to find something fun to do. She lived closely by her motto “YOLO.” Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble, nun at the Daughters of St. Paul convent, saw life in a similar way. Not only did she live every moment of her life to the fullest, but she stretched it even further to go as far as to actively not fear death. She says, “My life is going to end, and I have a limited amount of time. We naturally tend to think of our lives as kind of continuing and continuing” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” New York Times - Moreau FYE Week 3). Sister Aletheia lives her life differently than most because she accepts that life is finite and has an end. Abby, if she was still here, would echo this sentiment. Life is a precious gift that we have been given. In order to live our gift of life to the fullest, we need to accept that death can come at any moment, and instead of fearing and ignoring it, we should strive to have lived a fulfilling life by the time death rolls around. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html Abby loved her life dearly, but that does not mean her life was perfect. In actuality, no matter how it may appear, nobody’s life is ever perfect. With an increase in social media usage, often we see cherry picked versions of influencers’ lives that indicate to us that they face no hardships. Hardships challenge us greatly, but they can lead to positive outcomes. Father Hesburgh reflects on the hardships of life by saying, “In my faith you learn there’s meaning in suffering but to truly understand that you have to first suffer yourself. It tests your faith but in the end you find strength” (“Hesburgh” film by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week 2). Father Hesburgh means to say that once you get past your challenges, you come out the other side a changed and strengthened person. Suffering varies from person to person in terms of severity, but nevertheless, everyone has problems that they face, no matter how minor. Dr. Jihoon Kim, following a life altering snowboarding incident, offers us this insight. “Life is full of unexpected things. It could come and go anytime, and when hardships or unexpected things happen to us, we often focus on the things that we do not have” (“Five Minutes” Grotto Network - Moreau FYE Week 6). Kim goes one step further than Father Hesburgh, urging us to not dwell on the bad when faced with obstacles. Instead, to live a life well-lived, you must see the good in every situation and use every obstacle as an opportunity for growth. Abby faced the challenge of moving consistently every 3 years as a child, constantly having to make new friends. It was hard for her growing up that way, but she was able to overcome this experience and come out the other side being better at making friends and adapting to new environments. Another challenge Abby faced while she had to repeatedly make new friends at a brand new school was staying true to herself. Sometimes it is tempting to mold yourself so that others like you more, or out of fear you will have no friends, you try to change your personality. This is https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 the wrong way to live a life well-lived. Instead you should be true to yourself. Pic Iyer tells us, “They were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). This applies directly to Abby’s first few weeks starting college at Notre Dame. She was able to take her experiences as a youth, learn from them, and then come into college truly being herself. Everybody has an idea in their head of who they want to be and sometimes it is hard to distinguish where the line is between wanting to be somebody who is not authentically yourself and just innocently wanting to better yourself. We all have characteristics that we don’t love about ourselves, but Abby would remind us that when starting fresh at a new place it is crucial, even though it may feel lonely or uncomfortable, to remember who you are and not let anything change that just because you want to be more comfortable. One of the reason’s Abby would define her life as “well-lived,” if she was still here today, is her large amount of meaningful relationships. Abby loved being with people, whether they be her family or friends. Pope Francis gives his insights of relationships when he says, “I would love it if this meeting could help to remind us that we all need each other, none of us is an island, an autonomous and independent “I,” separated from each other, and we can only build the future by standing together” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). In modern society, sometimes we place too much emphasis on independent progress and competition. Pope Francis argues instead that it is much more beneficial to instead rely on others and work together. You can’t do everything alone, and if you do, you will be miserable. If you want to live a happy and purposeful life, you can only do that with meaningful collaborations and relationships with others. https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript As I come to a close, I want to leave you with the following thoughts. Abby’s life, though brief, demonstrated a live-well lived through her overcoming of challenges, staying true to her identity, and being an active participant in meaningful relationships. She wants to be remembered for these things. Once again echoing her favoring saying., “YOLO,” she would want everyone here to live by the following quote on the Meurolo Career Development website. It reads, “The only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week 4). Life is short and you never know when it will come to an end. Additionally, the world is a huge place full of opportunities waiting for you to take advantage of them. If you learn one thing from Abby’s life, it should be that you should make the most of your life, connecting with other people and overcoming any obstacles you may face. Instead of fearing death, you should spend your time making your life as well-lived as possible. https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/