Empathy through Self-Awareness Empathy Through Self-Awareness My two fundamental beliefs about our existence are that human beings are social creatures and that the only thing that is preventing us from achieving the ideal society is a deficiency in empathy. I believe that a life well-lived requires understanding yourself, trusting yourself, and loving yourself so that you have a solid foundation to understand, trust, and love others. In my oral midterm yesterday, I argued that minimalism is important to creating sustained joy and to allowing liberation and agency in our lives. Pico Iyer wrote in his article “Why we need to slow down our lives” that “These days, in the age of movement and connection, space, as Marx had it in another context, has been annihilated by time; we feel as though we can make contact with almost anywhere at any moment” (Why we need to slow down our lives | by Pico Iyer–Moreau FYE Week 1). I believe that while empathy does not directly result from minimalism and self-restraint, I believe that thoughtfulness does, and thoughtfulness can lead to greater self-awareness and empathy. The more distractions and consumption we have in life, the less mindful of our true selves and of others we become. Living a life well-lived requires freeing up your mind. The danger, however, in being mindful is the tendency to look for easy solutions and answers to your troubles. Throughout my life, and still, at Notre Dame, I find myself asking “why” questions instead of “what” questions, and upon reflection, I realize that the answers to my “why” questions often continue to ring in my head as limitations on what I can do. As Tasha Eurich wrote in her article “Introspection might also lull us into a false sense of certainty that we’ve identified the real issue”(The right way to be introspective (yes, there's a wrong way) |, by https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ Tasha Eurich–Moreau FYE Week 6). Mindfulness is one of the common practices of truly content and successful people, but doing it wrong can lead you to be worse off than you were before. To live a life well-lived, ask “what” questions, be patient, believe yourself capable of change. I think that one of the best ways to be mindful of yourself is to bring in other perspectives that you trust. For example, conversations with my parents, especially my mom, have been foundational in releasing emotions and thoughts that eat away at me and reframing my perspective to believe myself capable of better things. For example, while it is nothing new, she mentioned that one of the things I have to work on is being too judgmental and critical of those around me(Conversation with Mom, February 2, 2022, Moreau FYE Week 5). I am this way because I am also very critical of myself, especially in the past. This is something we first started talking about one year ago, during my senior year of high school, and I probably would not have realized it had she not mentioned it. One fallacy of mindfulness is that it can convince us that the path to happiness only requires the self, but I do not believe that a life well-lived can happen without interacting with the people around you. In line with not limiting yourself unnecessarily, Father Hime’s three questions are a great way to frame your life without letting your career narrow its scope first. In my experience here at Notre Dame, I feel that many kids let their majors frame their life journey, from their clubs and friends to where they live and what they do twenty years from now. I have had a very back and forth discernment journey for my major, but for now, I am decided as a PLS major. I think that benefit of that major is that it continues to expand your mind in undergraduate so that by the time you graduate, you are more well-read, well-spoken, and well-written than most of your peers. As Himes said, “Vocations lead to vocations!(Three Key Questions by Father Michael Himes–Moreau FYE Week 3).” I believe that PLS is a vocation that could lead to dozens of other vocations in my future, and it provides me with a certain moral foundation that allows me to ask the same questions as Father Himes when searching for what vocation is best able to do good in this world. Using Father Himes's questions, in combination with the information from the surveys filled out with the Center for Career Development, I can identify my future path easier. After looking at the classes that have most interested me in my time here, I realized that my future vocation would have to engage my curiosity daily. “Every experience shapes you in some way, whether you realize it at the time or not!”(Navigating your Career Journey, Meruelo Family Center for Career Development–Moreau FYE Week 4). My classes here have shaped what I am interested in and have led me to believe that I have to do something that works to improve society in practical ways, but also involves interpersonal relationships, to lead a life well-lived. Living a life well-lived also requires recognizing your connection with everyone around you. This requires you to empathize with others as much as possible because it is our responsibility to pick others up around us. Often, money takes precedence over people, which hurts everyone spiritually if not physically. Pope Francis said, “One cannot love unless it is at their own expense”(His Holiness Pope Francis: Why the only future worth building includes everyone | TED Talk, by Pope Francis–Moreau Week 7). In both one’s personal interactions and their careers, I believe that this quote is essential to understanding what a life well-lived stands for. Sacrifice is necessary for empathy, and empathy is necessary to make decisions that truly benefit the most people possible. Few people better represent a life well-lived than Father Hesburgh. His career is characterized by an understanding of himself and empathizing with others. One quote of his https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone?language=en https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone?language=en stood out to me: “I’m willing to take a crack at this”(Hesburgh, Jerry Barca, and Christine O’Malley–Moreau FYE Week 2). He revitalized and modernized the University of Notre Dame through his compassion, innovation, and dedication to principle. He was an essential part of the civil rights movement and was one of the best at bringing people together. He was a friend to all and an enemy to none. His work has positively impacted thousands of people, and yet he was incredibly humble concerning his faith and his mission. I believe that Father Hesburgh incorporates all of the previously mentioned components of a life well-lived, and he has in many ways reframed my vision of my time here and what it means. I believe that he discovered himself through God, and that that discovery allowed him to help others as he did. Therefore, I will continue to discover myself during my time here, knowing that when I leave I will be prepared to help others. https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9