Integration 2 My Lever In Moreau we’ve been discussing a lot about what makes us who we are and how to be satisfied in life. I think this is an extremely important discussion because of the fact that thinking about these ideas makes us more knowledgeable about what we truly want and will make us more satisfied. I think that satisfaction in life comes from a lot of things, but one of those things is definitely living a life that I believe is good, meaningful, and purposeful. I think this class is important in setting our goals and definitions of success in our lives. I think a lot of people have a goal of being successful in life. I think success is a stupid word, maybe the most stupid word. It’s something everyone wants yet it’s one of the most subjective things maybe ever. One person’s success is another’s failure. People have goals contrary to each other, so somebody always loses. You’d be better off just saying what it is you want instead of blanketing it behind the vaguest term imaginable. The thing is, I only really see success used in a traditional context as a synonym for wealthy; I feel like it’s almost used as a type of superiority complex, and I’m certain it's something many people have inferiority complexes about. I think that having a specific definition of success is important to accomplish what you believe is meaningful in life, and not just to be rich. I think if you don’t have a decent definition of success, you probably will never find it. I think my definition of success is making the world a better place than it would be without me and enjoying life. This brings me to the two questions that I am discussing in this assignment: what am I made for, and what I am made of. I think I am made for a lot of things, and this corresponds to what I am made of. I am made of experiences as an older brother, and I’m made for helping my siblings and being there for them throughout our lives. I’m made of the moments I feel the most alive, whether it's music, sports, or games, I’m made for having fun. I believe everyone is made of a myriad of special things, and as a result everyone is made to express themselves, whether through art, music, poetry, movies, games, or discussion. I’m made of all the lessons I learned from everyone I’ve met, and I am made for understanding others, learning from the most unlikely sources, and being a good friend. I am made for empathy, for carrying out a life that I feel is good, for moving the world and universe in a direction that I feel is good, even if I have the tiniest impact in the grand scheme of things. These goals are interrelated; my goal of making the world a better place will help me be there for my siblings, my friends, and everyone else along the street that I’ll meet. I see so many problems and even if I can spend my life working on alleviating just one of them, I’d be extremely happy. I have many opportunities that I view as levers to reach my goal. I’m made of curiosity, and as a result I’m made for learning, and I’ve learned so much, whether that’s in the classroom, on the field, or just relationships and life. (Week 2) I view my intelligence and what I’ve learned as a tool, a lever as Archimedes would put it, to change the world and help people who may have been through the same experiences that made me. I’m made of hardships, I’m made to help others through those. (Weeks 5, 7, 9, & 10) Maybe one day others will be made of lessons I might have helped them learn. I’m at one of the most prestigious universities in the nation, that’s a lever too. There’s so many good opportunities to do research, make connections, and learn that I’ll likely be set up with more levers in the future and I can work on many research projects to help people all across the world already. This is something I’ve already started with high school research and lab involvement. I’m made of curiosity, I’m made to find new knowledge. Like I said earlier, I see so many issues and I hope to help people by solving them one day. I want to help people less fortunate than me get through their tough times, and not by just volunteering to give out food, but by helping alleviate the situation for everyone, and by inspiring everyone to volunteer and help out. I want to use my levers to create something that will help others, whether it's through research or philanthropy or social change. I want to give my best try at feeding the hungry, healing the sick, inspiring others. I want to help people through their bias, mistakes or manipulation; I want to show the disheartened that life is intrinsically good. These goals may be general and vague, but that’s what makes them so powerful. They’re something everyone agrees are noble goals. They’re goals every rational person can get behind and support in their own special way with the right motivation. This is the greatest lever of them all. I’m made of everything I’ve seen and done, the summation of all my actions and memories and people I‘ve met. This made the older brother, athlete, musician, debaters, and now Notre Dame student that I am today. All of these labels are words showing that there’s so many others who have gone through the same experiences and are made from the same things. (Week 11) Others have the same dreams as me in helping the world, others have the same ideas to protect their siblings, to research and create something new. I think ultimately I’m made for connection, taking these concepts, ideas, and dreams that I share with many others and expressing them in my own unique way, but in a way that can inspire others, in ways that others can use as a model to push their dreams forward and inspire more, and a model that people can use to learn from and encounter opposition with empathy. (Weeks 9-12) That’s what I’d like to do, to take all the ideals that I’m made of and express why I’m made of them. To take the universe and try to move it in a way I believe is truly good with every lever I’ve got.