Capstone Integration- Capstone Integration Moreau FYE What Does Truly Living Mean? I would consider my analysis of the question of “How do I pursue a life well-lived?” to have begun far before my involvement in this course. I am a person with high expectations. I expect a lot from myself and from those around me and I push and motivate action towards a circumstance that exceeds all expectations. Now, this can be a great trait. It has definitely helped me move away from mediocrity and find excellence both in my accomplishments and my relationships. However, this trait has also been my worst internal enemy. I have learned to measure my worth by a metric of effort and success and any disappointment can easily knock me on the ground. For the longest time, my answer to the idea of pursuing a life well lived was meeting and exceeding all sorts of expectations from myself and from others. I dare say that college has changed me in ways I never thought possible. It has been a very rough experience that has in some way forced me to realize that I am human and that if I don’t come to terms with the fact that I too, can fail, make mistakes and disappoint, I will never be satisfied. I have learned that failure is part of life’s beauties because it is where the largest amounts of growth and learning come from. Is when a person has failed that it is truly its vulnerable self. If one stands in a position of accepting failure one has the biggest space to grow and pursue a good life. So I believe in short, my answer to the question stated above now is: simply live. I have developed a personal mission statement that further explains what simply living to me means. I have attempted to incorporate phrases that will guide my way to the state of absolute presence, peace, acceptance, and clarity that I describe as living and that I believe is the ultimate path towards pursuing a life well-lived. My mission is to live. I want to enjoy every second, every detail, every moment of the present. I want to live for the sake of living. I will laugh, cry, stress, fear, and burst with joy. I will jump, walk, lay down, sleep, run, and stand. I will enjoy the sun, the rain, the snow, the cold, and the heat. I will have deep talks with those I love and sometimes maybe upset them. I will learn to live for the sake of the moment and not for no one or anything else. I will be grateful for the life I have been given. I will give back to those around me, especially those who need it the most. I will learn to love. I will start with myself. Love every aspect of myself. I will love my personality. I will love my body. I will love my physical appearance. I will love my bones and muscles. I will love my organs. I will love my talents and my smile. I will love the way I respond to situations and most importantly I will love the way God made me human. I will love the way that I can change and evolve. I will love the way I grow and become stronger. I will love the way I adapt to circumstances and become wiser. I will love the way I succeed. I will love the way I fail and make mistakes. I will love the way I give and share. I will love the way I love. I will continue with sharing love with those around me. God is love and I want nothing more but to spread His wholesome essence throughout the world. I will offer love to those who love me back and those who hurt me. I will offer love to those who have plenty of it and those who need it the most. I will continue to exercise and evolve in my faith. I will connect to God and serve as his slave. I will live to his image and simplicity. I will work hard for myself and those around me. I am responsible for the consequences of my actions. I act with courage, determination, and strength. I will fulfill my goals and share my privileges. I will contribute to making this world a better place. I will attempt to fight against injustices around the world. I will die a happy person, one with no regrets or no feeling of missed time. I will die grateful for having lived. That to me is a life well-lived (Mission Statement by - Moreau FYE Week 13). I have realized that living in the present is a determinant of how much we enjoy life. Even though these past years have been extremely hard for me I have learned to appreciate the good and the bad because their coexistence is what makes life beautiful. Researchers discovered that “it takes an average of twenty-five minutes to recover from a phone call. Yet such interruptions come every eleven minutes — which means we’re never caught up with our lives” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” By Pico Lyer- Moreau FYE Week 1). When I think https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-1-practicing-self-reflection?module_item_id=146736#:~:text=Why%20we%20need,an%20external%20site. about all of the small things that have become normal in our lives as technology advances I wonder how much time would it take for me to ‘recover’ from all of the things that fill our life with information. How can we recover from receiving notifications on our phones, watches, computers, ipads every 5 minutes. In an interview with the New York Times Wilkens talks about “surrender[ing] everything to God” (“Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die” By Ruth Graham- Moreau FYE Week 3). To live in the present means to lose the need to control everything and flow with God’s intentions for you, trusting that he loves you and knows what is best for you. Attempting to keep things in control by bombarding ourselves with information, technology, and plans simply takes away from the joy of living the life that has been created and gifted to us by God. As I continue to attempt to acknowledge the present regardless of positive or negative circumstances I learn to become more grateful for the simple fact of my existence, and what it means for me and the world around me. As I continue to study political science I am amazed at how much we can get stuck as a society in the entails of a system that we have created to organize ourselves but in and of itself has no significance whatsoever. We tend to forget what is of true importance and what God has given us and become ungrateful for the situations that truly impact our lives and personalities. In class we discuss political polarization and how that is constantly creating a division between individuals. (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” By Paul Blashko- Moreau FYE Week 11). I simply believe in the importance of, as human beings, managing to set our differences aside and be grateful to the fact that the universe has allowed us to coexist with each other at the same time and be able to form beautiful and enriching relationships and experiences that will determine the quality of our lives. The Center for Career https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-3-questions-of-a-life-well-lived?module_item_id=146776#:~:text=Meet%20the%20nun,an%20external%20site.) https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-3-questions-of-a-life-well-lived?module_item_id=146776#:~:text=Meet%20the%20nun,an%20external%20site.) https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-11-growing-in-wisdom?module_item_id=147225#:~:text=How%20to%20Avoid,an%20external%20site.) Development in ND spreads students awareness on how one’s choice of career reflects one’s “values, interests, personality, and skills' ' (“Navigating Your Career Journey” By University Career Services- Moreau FYE Week 4). I realize the value that I place on serving others and that there is a direct correlation between my values, skills and choices of career. However, I do still feel a little lost when it comes to choosing something that I know I want to do for the rest of my life With getting to know myself and understanding my values and interests comes a journey of self recognition and self-love that is priceless for living a good life. One of the biggest challenges that I have encountered this year was learning to love myself regardless of the circumstance. I granted myself validation from the success of my actions instead of finding unconditional self-love. The Bible and DuLac talk about students becoming ““Strangers and sojourners no longer...” (“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” By University of Notre Dame-Moreau FYE Week 10). I believe this is an important lesson for us to apply to our own selves. We should strive to get to know ourselves and give ourselves the love and respect that can sustain us as we move forward. It was interesting to discuss how “The more time the participants spend in introspection, the less self-knowledge they have” (“The Right Way to be Introspective” By Tascha Eurich-Moreay FYE Week 6). I found that deep introspection reflection causes one to continue finding and creating obstacles that are self-imposed and prevent one from growing. Letting go of control and learning to love all circumstances one is faced with is the foundation of self-love and self-support that can make the difference between living or feeling stuck. https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-10-embracing-humanity?module_item_id=147150#:~:text=The%20Spirit%20of,an%20external%20site. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/modules/items/146950#:~:text=Eurich%2C%20TED%20Conferences)-,Text%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20Right%20Way%20to%20be%20Introspective%20(Yes%2C%20There%E2%80%99s%20a,Links%20to%20an%20external%20site.,-Previous Love should be the foundation of our life and with self-love comes spreading that same feeling to others. The sole purpose behind my career choice of political science is because I feel like my mission in life is to serve others and spread my gratitude and love towards them. In the discussion we held during Moreau class in week 9 we talked about Reifenberg’s experience with service. He summarized an effective form of service to others with the word “accompaniment”. (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together ” By Prof. Steve Reifenberg- Moreau FYE Week 9) The impact we can have on others’ lives from simply being there with and for them makes me understand the importance of having one another as human beings and spreading love, faith and connection with those around us. Pope Francis shared words of wisdom saying “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 7). I understand that I have been born in a privileged position and a fulfilling desire that I hold deeply rooted in my heart is that I want to be able to share that privilege with others to expand love and interconnectedness through the human race. Having expanded on love I came to think about the source of all that love, that is God. He who has created us and who gave His life for us. I have experienced many ups and downs in my journey of faith and consider that as I got entrailed in the difficulties of my new life I got pulled further apart from my relationship and connection to God. The Bible states ““9. God so loved the world that He sent his only Son that we might have life and have it abundantly” (“Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross”- Moreau FYE Week 12). This thought gives me hope that we are all good and that someday, through collective effort, we will achieve the best potential state https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-9-responding-to-suffering?module_item_id=147094#:~:text=Teaching%20Accompaniment%3A%20A,an%20external%20site.) https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-7-relationships-of-a-life-well-lived?module_item_id=146994#:~:text=Why%20the%20only,an%20external%20site.) https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-12-acting-with-courage?module_item_id=147285#:~:text=Constitutions%20of%20the,an%20external%20site.) https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-12-acting-with-courage?module_item_id=147285#:~:text=Constitutions%20of%20the,an%20external%20site.) of the world and become one step closer to living God’s image and likeness. I really want to focus on growing closer to my faith and observing it as a source of constant love and support that is unconditional and I know I can always fall back on. I have talked about things that are truly fulfilling to me and even though I’m not perfect they do come out to me pretty naturally or I am extremely motivated to make them work. However, when it comes to work I have experienced lack of motivation many times. I found that the solution to these feelings of falter is discipline. When I don’t want to do my work, when I don't want to do my best because I don't feel motivated, the only thing that can push me past this stillness is discipline. Father Hersburgh stated ““Our words are buttressed by our deeds, and our deeds are inspired by our convictions” (“Hesburgh” By Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley- Moreau FYE Week 2). It is in our convictions that one can find proper inspiration to act with discipline and hard work. In week 5 of Moreau class we were asked to have a conversation with someone close to us and have them tell us something that is difficult for us to hear. I chose to have this conversation with my parents and even though it is one of the hardest conversations I have had it taught me an important lesson (Moreau FYE Week 5). Working hard and improving is, of course, hard. It is in becoming uncomfortable, in listening to things you don't want to listen to and in acknowledging those things one doesn't want to accept that true growth takes place and that the opportunity for living one’s best life arises. I think in general, living a life well lived is truly pretty simple. I believe that the important thing is to set one’s priorities straight and have a constant reminder and reflection that one is following their mission. My mission is to live life to its fullest and breaking it apart into https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/pages/introduction-to-week-2-inspirations-of-a-life-well-lived?module_item_id=146754#:~:text=Hesburgh,an%20external%20site.) core elements of what that means to me can help me take advantage of the blessing that is ife from the present until the moment I die.