- Integration Three Professor Nguyen Moreau First Year Experience- Integration Three 4 March 2022 : Brother, Bailey, Baffling Today, we remember the life of , brother, son, father, and “Itty Bitty Ben” to many. The first thing that comes to mind when we think of Ben is how he prioritized having fun and making memories. He was never hesitant to remove himself from all distractions, specifically social media “obligations” and those from technology. He knew that the best experiences would come from beyond the phone and digital world, and destressed when focusing on the reality in front of him. When he was younger, he listened to a TED talk, and heard the benefits of stress-reduction programs. He found out that they exist “in part because workers find unclogging their minds’ arteries to be exhilarating” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). He applied this to his personal, everyday life, and found time in his hectic life to relax, calm down, and overall destress. This was such an important pillar to his life, and we should all follow his priorities and make time to focus on ourselves. As a lifelong fan of Notre Dame, and eventually an alumni, he obviously followed the life of Fr. Ted Hesburgh. Therefore, after watching the biography film about the important figure two times in his life, he was inspired by a message from the film. Ben aspired to build bridges between very polarized demographics, just as Fr. Hesburgh did. In the film, Fr. Hesburgh had the belief that, even though, “we may have had our disagreements, but at the end of the day, we were all fishermen.” (“Hesburgh Film” - Moreau FYE Week Two). Throughout his life, Ben applied this ideology to his relationships with others, and put aside the differences he had with them that https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 were “seemingly too hard to overcome”. No difference or disagreement was too big to be a fellow “fisherman” for Ben. As his life progressed, Ben started to realize the importance of “ripping off the bandaid” and getting the difficult tasks out of the way first. One idea that he typically shared was “It’s actually in facing the darkest realities of life that we find light in them” (“Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die” by New York Times - Moreau FYE Week Three), as opposed to “suppressing” difficult concepts. This was helpful for him as he approached the last stages of his life, where he realized hiding his fears of death were natural. Instead, he embraced the time that he had left on Earth, and made every last moment meaningful. We think that Ben wanted to face his largest obstacles, such as an impending death that awaits us all, first, allowing him to enjoy life without stress. As he always believed, getting the difficult parts done first made the easier ones more enjoyable, and getting rid of that “cloud” over your head makes everything better. One of the most important facets of Ben’s life was his career, and creating a secure foundation for his work, so that he was able to enjoy it. Even since the beginning of his college years, Ben continuously worked towards his career goals and pursuing a career in sports broadcasting, while also exploring entertainment as an alternative. As a freshman, he was able to call games on the radio and television, a goal he didn’t think he would reach until after graduation. Meanwhile, he created funny content for people to watch, starting off with short films for his class, but expanding into work made in his free time with friends. These two paths lit a fire in his soul, and having tangible videos to reflect on was meaningful for him. He realized that these were completely his works, and saw these accomplishments as a way to approach happiness. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html Early in college, Ben had an important conversation with his twin brother, Jack, who was with him through every stage of their lives. Through this conversation, Ben realized the person that he presented himself as, and how he was able to improve other people’s lives. Jack told him, “ you’ve always brought light to me when I had some rough times and when I was tired of you, but I found a way to laugh anyways.” (“Moreau Discernment Conversation” by Jack Bailey - Moreau FYE Week Five) This was very important to Ben in his life after the conversation, and he realized that he had the ability to cheer people up through humor. We think this is why he had such a passion for entertainment and comedy, because it made others better and helped them persevere through difficult times. He felt as if he had a gift in humor, and wanted to use that as much as possible to not “let it go to waste”. Similar to his career, being able to make others laugh brought a new version of Ben out, and he found that fire inside him after finding people laughing at his jokes. Growing up near Notre Dame, where his area in South Bend is predominantly Catholic, Ben found religion to be an essential part of his life. Even when he encountered struggles and obstacles in his life, “Itty Bitty Ben” found God to be consistent in His goodness. Instead of going alone in his life, Ben allowed God to help him navigate through difficult times. He was inspired by the story of Dr. Jihoon Kim, who was featured on “Grotto” after being paralyzed in a snowboarding accident. He said, “I reached the conclusion that God is good and that God loves us. But at the same time, the purpose of my life is not simply about overcoming suffering, suffering is a part of our lives, it is always there. But it is about how to respond to suffering with God.” (“5 Minutes”by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week Six) As a result of this quote, Ben realized that religion would be able to help him overcome obstacles, which he used a lot later in https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 life. Without this quote, religion would not have been as instrumental in his life, and he would’ve tried to get through difficult times by himself. One thing that Ben struggled with was the meaning of life, and how to approach this large concept of life. He constantly debated on whether or not the meaning of life could be found through love, work, relationships, etc., but couldn’t seem to figure out how to get closer to a life well-lived. However, after hearing a TED talk from Pope Francis, Ben’s search improved. Pope Francis said, “When one realizes that life, even in the middle of so many contradictions, is a gift, that love is the source and the meaning of life, how can they withhold their urge to do good to another fellow being?” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven) This was a great source of closure for Ben, as hearing such a profound statement from the most impactful Catholic authority helped him realize the true meaning of life. Through this talk, Ben realized that who he surrounded himself with was key to his happiness, and loving those around him and his time with them helped him pursue the “end goal” of his long life. R.I.P. https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript