Microsoft Word - MOREAU integration natalia.docx Moreau FYE Integration October 15, 2021 What Makes Me Who I am Our lives are relevant due to what our beliefs are and how we live for them. In my opinion, discovering my beliefs and understanding why I seek to follow them is what eventually will lead me to embrace real happiness. People tend to look for happiness, but I believe happiness is found within ourselves. Therefore, I feel it's quite important to recognize my beliefs and the things I value the most, to use them as a motivation and guide to pursuing my future goals in life. That way, I can become the person I aspire to be. I believe that I grow by allowing myself to be vulnerable. I consider it very important to acknowledge that vulnerability is key to living a real, authentic, and passionate life. As stated in (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown- Moreau FYE Week One) “In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen.” This quote emphasizes how important it is to show our true selves in order to create healthy and genuine relationships with others and even with ourselves. Showing our true selves begins with accepting that it’s normal to struggle with vulnerability but that it’s very important to embrace it no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it is. Being vulnerable is what, in the end, will lead us to feel real emotions and passion; it’s what makes us authentic and, most importantly, real. I consider myself as someone who doesn’t like to feel so vulnerable nor uncomfortable. I wouldn’t say I like showing my insecurities, and sometimes I even refuse to accept them since I struggle with putting myself in a situation where I’m not in control. Moreover, I’ve often avoided trying to engage in different activities or even open myself to new people because of the fear of putting myself vulnerable. However, I feel that now I understand better the importance of being vulnerable and accepted that showing my true self makes my relationships and life more real. Therefore, I recognize that I need to keep working on improving this about myself to be able to embrace vulnerability and, more importantly, my true self. I believe that I'm searching for my most authentic self, and in order to find it, I feel it is necessary to first acknowledge my weaknesses. Following what David Brook stated in (Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy?, Moreau FYE Week Two), "Atom 2 is built by fighting your weaknesses, you go into yourself you find the sin which you committed over and again through your life, your signature sin out of which the others emerge, and you fight that sin, and you wrestle that sin". I agree that to know your character and become a strong and real person, it's essential to find those weaknesses that make us act incorrectly or commit mistakes. Sometimes it's hard to accept those weaknesses, but it's essential to understand that accepting them will eventually lead us to a better place. After we acknowledge what makes us act in ways we don't like, we can fight it and become the person we aspire to be with the characteristics and principles we value. This reflection relates to the first topic we saw in class about being vulnerable because, to find our weaknesses, we first got to allow ourselves to be vulnerable. This isn't something that comes easy, and personally, I've always struggled with putting myself vulnerable and even more with accepting my weaknesses. This reflection reminds me of when I was little, and I used to fight a lot with my little sister. I remember how hard it was to accept when it was my fault and when I had done things wrong. However, as mentioned earlier, now that I'm grown, I feel I understand the importance of accepting both, being vulnerable and recognizing our weaknesses. Furthermore, I feel more motivated to work on and improve these aspects of my life. That way, I can become the most authentic version of myself and seek a real and passionate life. I believe that I am made to live a life based on Hope and faith. When talking about Hope, I feel it's essential to emphasize its significance, specifically the importance of Hope by the hand of God. That's why I chose this quote from the video (The Role of Faith in Our Story, Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C, Moreau FYE Week Three), "Hope is confident because it rests upon God's power, not our own." As stated in the video and the text, Hope keeps us going forward; it helps us stand back on our feet even in the worst times. Hope and faith work in unison to help us understand the significance of life and trust that God's path is indeed the right one. I feel it's important to recognize the connection between faith and Hope because, through our faith in God, we will find Hope and motivation to seek that life we are looking for and, more importantly, true happiness. From all the topics we've seen in this class, this has been one of my favorites. I feel we can relate to it very much, and I enjoyed learning more about it. I believe we should all live a life based on faith. It gives us motivation and lets us live at peace. I've had many moments in which my faith starts fading away, but it is precisely in those moments that I realize how important it is to believe in God and believe in his reasons for doing everything he does. It's essential to accept that he has all the correct answers and that by living a life by his side, I'll gain more happiness, more joy, and more peace. I'll feel deeply connected to something greater than myself. I consider that I'm very clear of my beliefs, and I have faith in God and his power. Furthermore, I'm ready to keep discovering more significant things about faith and keep seeking it. I'm sure I'll be able to do so, attending such a religious university like Notre Dame. I love the connection with faith that the university has and the safe and small places that make us feel at peace and at home. For example, the grotto, my favorite place on campus, makes me feel deeply connected to God and, more importantly, allows me to reflect on myself. I'm hoping to become a better version of myself, and I know that I'll be able to do it through my faith and at Notre Dame. I believe that I forge life-giving relationships by first identifying whether the relationship is healthy or unhealthy. I believe it's imperative to recognize whether a relationship is good for us or not. Sometimes, we stay with people because of comfort or because they've always been around. But I believe it's precisely in those moments that we should take a minute to analyze what that relationship is bringing to our lives and how it is making us feel. I chose the quote "The best kind of friendships are the ones where you leave with a smile on your face." (5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship, Olivia T. Taylor, Grotto, Moreau FYE Week Four), because I believe it has a lot of power and meaning. Even though it seems like a common phrase, we rarely ask ourselves how we feel after hanging out with our friends. It isn't easy to recognize a healthy or unhealthy relationship, but I think this question is a great place to start. This topic is compelling, and I can relate to it very much since I've had some unhealthy relationships throughout my life. That's why I know it's essential to understand how much damage a toxic relationship can do to a person. It can lower our self-esteem as well as lead us to the wrong places. Moreover, I feel that the point of having close relationships is to feel deeply connected to the person, understood, loved, and vice versa. It doesn't matter how much time we've been in a relationship with someone. If it starts to get unhealthy and there's nothing else we can do to make the relationship healthy again, I believe we should walk away. Yes, it will be very hard if we sincerely care for this person but, that's why it is essential to understand that in the end, we'll be so much better without a toxic relationship in our lives. I believe that my community should stop stereotyping others and instead embrace all our differences. To do this, we first should recognize our identity and our values and also acknowledge and respect the values and beliefs of others. Most of the time, those values and beliefs will differ from ours, but it's important to respect them as well. This can relate to the quote, "This emotional and moral knowledge should give us a sense of identity, a sense of ideals to live up to and an appreciation of the values that matter most to us — equality or prosperity or freedom.". ( How to Destroy Truth, David Brooks, Moreau FYE Week Seven) Most of the time, people create barriers and push others away because of their different beliefs. This behavior should change, and rather than judging someone from their ideas, culture, etc., we should accept them and embrace the differences that people bring to our world. I feel that now that I've arrived at college, I've had the opportunity to analyze myself, and I've realized how I have an implicit bias within me. I feel this can affect me negatively, and I would like to enrich my knowledge and perspectives by getting out of my comfort zone and improving this about myself. I think it's essential to understand other's perspectives and opinions as well as your own. I've been starting to improve this by engaging in different recreational activities on campus, allowing me to connect with different people with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. I'm grateful to attend such a prestigious university in which diversity thrives. I'm excited to continue this journey, take advantage of this opportunity, and allow myself to understand the beauty of diversity. I believe that where I come from has had a significant influence on who I am today. These beliefs, which have formed me, developed thanks to my roots, my country, and my family. I come from a small country in which diversity thrives and culture and tradition flourishes. Most importantly, I come from a family of 4 whose knowledge and guidance I have used to grow. I come from all the friends and people I've encountered throughout my life, and all the experiences and lessons I've learned, which have made me the person I'm today. I’m glad I can proudly say I come from a small country known to be the bridge of the world and the heart of the universe, but above all, I'm happy to say I come from a place I can call home. Following this, now that I've acknowledged all the values and beliefs I've gained from my experiences and from where I'm from, I can embrace and use them to grow as a Notre Dame student. I believe that I pursue truth by seeking both faith and reason. I believe faith and reason are both very important components that I need to embrace to succeed and become the person I aspire to be. As mentioned in (Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education, Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C, Moreau FYE Week Five). “If we are really searching for truth in whatever we study then we need both faith and reason.” This quote seems very relevant because I feel it's essential to address this topic now that I'm in Notre Dame. As mentioned in the last paragraph, I believe it is critical to understand the importance of my beliefs, in this case, faith and reason for my education and my future years at Notre Dame. Furthermore, what I like the most is that here in Notre Dame, I'll be able to seek faith and reason, but more importantly, there's a whole community of people with the same values and principles as myself. As said in the video, there is an entire faculty of people, including priests and alumni, with the same beliefs as ourselves. People to whom we can relate and even ask for help and motivation at certain times. Living in a place where people understand the importance of faith makes me feel more comfortable and accompanied. Furthermore, it makes me feel like I belong. Sometimes, things will not be perfect, however, I know that I can rely on the spiritual guide that Notre Dame offers. All of these make me confident that this is the place where I want to grow and become the person I aspire to be, spiritually and academically. These beliefs that I mentioned before have shaped me into the person I've become today. That's how I know how important it is to keep sticking to my beliefs and values to seek success. For me, success comes from knowing that everything I've accomplished has been with integrity. That is why I aspire to get an outstanding academic education along with a growth in ethical values during my college years. By saying growth in ethical values, I mean focusing on allowing myself to be vulnerable and accepting my weaknesses. Moreover, seeking faith and religion and following my desire to live a life full of hope by the hand of God. That way, I can become someone real, authentic, and true. I'm very grateful I have the opportunity to call this university, in which love, religion, and spirit prevails, my second home. Furthermore, with the motto that the university always promotes: the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart, I'm certain I'll be able to educate my mind and my heart, becoming the successful and compassionate professional I've always wanted to be. Bibliography The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown- Moreau FYE Week One Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy? by David Brook- Moreau FYE Week Two The Role of Faith in Our Story by Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C- Moreau FYE Week Three 5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship by Olivia T. Taylor, Grotto- Moreau FYE Week Four How to Destroy Truth, by David Brooks- Moreau FYE Week Seven Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education by Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C- Moreau FYE Week Five