Integration 3-Sem 2 2/26/22 Professor Alison Thigpen Moreau First Year Experience How will I be remembered? When I originally thought of the question “how do I want to be remembered when I pass away?”, I immediately did not like it. I tried not to think about it. This is often a scary question to ask myself because I feel like I haven't done enough to be remembered as anything amazing. I thought about how I haven’t really accomplished much or seen all things I want to see in the world. When I thought about the question again and in a deeper sense, I realized that I don’t really need to be remembered as anybody who did anything life changing, I would just want to be remembered as a good human being. Being a good human being may look different for everyone, but I think that my values showcase the kind of person I would want to be remembered as. Firstly, I would want to be remembered as someone who was reflective and self-aware of my life. I think one important aspect of a “life well-lived” is to be able to slow down and step away from our busy lives. As Ghandi points out, we need to take time away from our work and meditate more when we are very busy (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer-Moreau FYE Week One). One sign that I have lived out this aspect would be when I am able to step away from my schoolwork and my professional work life and be with my loved ones or in self-reflection. This is essential to living a peaceful life, and I would want to be remembered as someone who lived a peaceful life. Another facet of my life that I would like to be remembered for would be my ability to “get in a room with a bunch of people that didn’t agree with anything and bridge all that” (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley- Moreau FYE Week 2). Father Hesbrugh was someone who always tried to overcome differences and have meaningful discussions with others. I think that living a life-well lived involves being able to hear others perspectives. Even though I admit that I am stubborn many times, I wish to be able to bridge gaps in the future between people that disagree. I feel that leading a life well-lived must include the central aspect of joy, rather than happiness. Father Micheal describes the difference between joy and happiness by saying that joy is the sense of rightness in the way you are living your life, while happiness is more about external factors, like hunger, sleep, and illness (“Three Key Questions”-Moreau FYE Week 3). In my life, I want to be remembered as living joyfully because I wish to have a sense of rightness in my actions, especially in the way I interact with others. In addition, I wish to be remembered as a risk taker, who isn’t afraid to try something new because of failure. When I was completing the 7 clues assignment, I remember being taken aback by the question “If you knew you couldn’t fail, what might you most like to do?” (“7 Clues: An Interactive Assessment Activity”-Moreau FYE Week 4). Oftentimes I am so worried that I will fail that it stops me from trying something new, but I think that a life well lived requires me to take risks and try new things. At my death bed, I hope to be able to have done what I would most like to do if I knew I wasn't going to fail. When having a conversation with my mom about something that is difficult to say, but I need to hear, she told me that I need to learn to ask for what I want (“Week Five Discernement Conversation Activity”- Moreau FYE Week 5). I thought this was very true because sometimes I get too nervous or embarrassed to ask for something I really want. Sometimes I feel as though I don't deserve it or it's not the right time to ask, but honestly, like my mom said, the worst thing someone can say is no. For me, this is something that’s very important to a well-lived life. One sign that I have accomplished this in my life is when I feel confident in asking people for help. I want to be remembered as someone who wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted. It will definitely take a lot of time and effort to gain this confidence, but it is something that I strive for. Furthermore, I want to be remembered as someone who overcame obstacles with grace. Similar to the way the man that lost his ability to walk and other motor functions in the film “5 Minutes” was able to overcome his sadness by thinking positively about what he did have, I wish to overcome my obstacles by being appreciative (“5 Minutes”by Aria Swarr, Grotto- Moreau FYE Week 6) . It would be easy to have lived a good life if you were never posed with obstacles. I wish to be remembered as someone who comes back when they fall, and learns something from it. I think a good sign of this is when I do not have any regrets about the bad things that have happened in my life, and that I wouldn't change anything about the unfortunate circumstances. This would imply that I made something good out of the bad situations in my life. I think that above all I want to be remembered as someone who treated everyone with dignity and respect. In the TED video, the pope said “the other is not a statistic or a number. The other has a face” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis- Moreau FYE Week 7) . In my life, I do not want to treat anyone as if they are a number or a statistic. This has a lot to do with the famous golden rule that was ingrained in me growing up. I feel that serving others and treating them right is the most important part of having a life well-lived. In sum, my values direct the way in which I want to be remembered when I pass away. This includes self-awareness, open mindedness, true joy, risk taking, confidence to ask for what I want, and overcoming my obstacles with grace. The most important of all these facets for me is being remembered as someone who treated others with dignity and respect.