Moreau Week 1  - Searching for Belonging




Moreau

8/25/2021

Week 1 - Searching for Belonging

The second course learning objective - “define beliefs and values” - stands out as the

most relevant in my life. I have been fortunate to have had a variety of life experiences,

subsequently causing me to meet a variety of people. These people have caused me to challenge

both my beliefs and values. From a conservative, suburban, Catholic middle school to a largely

Jewish, rich, liberal, and urban high school I have been forced to think about and defend my

beliefs and what I value. The people I have surrounded myself with, both on my own and by

chance, have helped me become the person I am today. I see the Moreau class as another

opportunity to do the same and help me further define and refine my values and beliefs.

Question: In my past experiences, the way I have defined my beliefs and values has been through

the same beliefs and values being challenged and subsequently changing. My question is do you

think beliefs and values can be refined without them being challenged? And what views or

beliefs do you believe will never change no matter how many times they are challenged?

Quote: “They didn’t talk about vulnerability being comfortable, nor did they talk about it being

excruciating [...] they talked about it being necessary” (Brené Brown) This quote represents one

of the key points in Dr. Brown’s Tedx talk. In this case, the people speaking already showed that

they were comfortable with being vulnerable. These people did not shy away from vulnerability

as most people do but rather embraced it. They did not look at it as something negative, like the

people who were not comfortable with being vulnerable, but viewed it as a positive and good

thing to be. I believe the most important part of the quote though is that they did not say that it is

comfortable. One thing I picked up from the talk was that if vulnerability comes easy, it is not

being done right. These people lived by that and found a balance between uncomfortable and

pain.

Comment: I found Dr. Brown’s talk interesting, and I truly enjoyed the relevance the words have

today over ten years later. While it was a mere side note in her discussion, she mentions how

politics and religion have turned into certainty and not a discussion. Since 2010 the discourse has

only gotten worse which I found interesting. I also found how Dr. Brown’s life experiences



shaped her understanding of vulnerability important. She came to the conclusion that living with

vulnerability required her to stop controlling and predicting, which led to her “spiritual

awakening.” For her to become vulnerable she had to be vulnerable with her therapist to

understand her discovery. Her experiences show the audience that becoming vulnerable is not as

simple as just doing it, and it is a process. In my opinion, her openness about her experiences

only added to her credibility when talking about vulnerability. It is easy for one to tell you to be

vulnerable, but to actually talk to someone and get help to become it takes a lot more strength. I

have had struggles with both vulnerability and reaching out for help and seeing her

accomplishments while doing both gives me hope that I can do the same.