Moreau Integration 1
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Andrew Whittington
Moreau First Year Experience
15 October 2021
A Duty to Know, Love, and Serve
God, in His great love, has given me many blessings, one of which is the opportunity to
be a part of the Notre Dame community. At Notre Dame, I have encountered great diversity in
worldviews, political viewpoints, faiths, and upbringings. I find this diversity to be a great gift
and opportunity for me to share my love with others. Because I have received so much love from
God and others in my life, it is my responsibility to share that love with others. In order to love
and serve God and others, it is necessary to know others in a deep, personal way, which is
enabled by Notre Dame’s diverse community.
My first core belief is that I have been greatly blessed by God, and thus much is expected
of me. I have been blessed in many ways, like in my talents, my economic status, my health, and
most importantly my spiritual upbringing. A quote that describes this well is in my “Where I’m
From” poem, in which I say, “I am from the Church; Baptized and confirmed, never strayed from
the path” (“Where I’m From” by - Moreau FYE - Week Six). I find it extremely
lucky that I was raised in the Catholic Church and that my parents are both good spiritual role
models for me. It takes some people their entire lives to find the correct religion, which I believe
is Catholicism, and I consider it a great blessing and advantage that I was raised in this way.
Growing up Catholic has also given me a purpose and general worldview that makes almost
every aspect of life easier. In David Fagerberg’s article, he explains how life’s purpose becomes
more clear with faith, and we are able to see God by just looking around. He says, “God
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vOOx8vSZtmX7zflwt30JJY_EXsyV_EzOhI2XAjfrFZ4/edit?usp=sharing
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discloses himself, faith responds, and then we can see with new eyes” (“Faith Brings Light to a
Dark World” by David Fagerberg - Moreau FYE Week Three). Because I can see God through
my faith, I am able to hear His message, which guides my life and also prevents me from getting
caught up in worldly problems. My faith allows me to live a life full of joy, and I can fully utilize
the talents God gave to me to help others. David Brooks described how our external, marketable
virtues stem from our internal, moral virtues, and he quoted Reinhold Niebuhr in saying,
“Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by
love” (“Should You Live Your Resume or Your Eulogy” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week
Two). This sentiment guides my life because every talent I have, internal and external, is only
possible through God. Like in the parable of the man who buried his talents, God expects us to
utilize the gifts He gives us, which is why I think a lot is expected of me. I believe that I have
been utilizing my talents well by putting my full effort into my faith, hobbies, and schoolwork,
but I believe there is always more to accomplish.
My second core belief is that I have a duty to share the love I receive from others. I
receive love from God, my family, my friends, and even other people in my life, but one of the
greatest sources of love is my parents. As I said in my “Where I’m From” poem, “I am from two
loving parents; Who always selflessly provide, never shying from giving gifts” (“Where I’m
From” by - Moreau FYE - Week Six). My parents have shown love to me in every
way possible, and they also raised me in a way to recognize how God loves me too. I also have
developed many life-giving friendships with others. Olivia Taylor says about friendships, “The
best kind of friendships are the ones where you leave with a smile on your face, knowing you’re
both growing to be better people and that you’re helping each other get there” ("5 Signs You’re
in a Toxic Friendship" by Olivia T. Taylor - Moreau FYE Week Four). Friendships cultivate
https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau
https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM&feature=emb_title
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vOOx8vSZtmX7zflwt30JJY_EXsyV_EzOhI2XAjfrFZ4/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vOOx8vSZtmX7zflwt30JJY_EXsyV_EzOhI2XAjfrFZ4/edit?usp=sharing
https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/relationships/signs-of-toxic-friendships/
https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/relationships/signs-of-toxic-friendships/
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growth in both members, and they are not merely just for having fun. Because I receive a great
amount of love from others, I believe I also have a duty to share my love with others. However,
sharing love is not always easy. Brene Brown said about her study, “[The wholehearted] just
talked about [vulnerability] being necessary… They talked about the willingness to say, ‘I love
you’ first” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brene Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). Brown
says that saying “I love you,” even to people who love greatly, still requires vulnerability. To
share love means to be vulnerable and form relationships with people that differ from oneself. At
Notre Dame, I have formed very diverse friendships, and it is a continued goal of mine to make
friends with those who do not have the same life experience as I do.
A third core belief of mine is that I have to widen my perspective to know, love, and
serve others. Catholicism teaches that in order to serve God we must serve others. Also, in order
to serve God we must love Him, and in order to love God we must know Him. This means that to
serve others, we must know and love them, which requires a broad perspective. Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie described how narrow perspectives can limit our view of other people when she
said, “So that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over
and over again, and that is what they become” (“Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie Week 7). In order to not have a “single story” for a group of people, we must
know them in a way beyond what third parties tell us. We must personally get to know others to
truly know their stories and to love them. In Notre Dame’s video “It’s On Us ND,” the students
describe that it is a necessity to know and love others. One student references Genesis in saying,
“It’s on us to be our brother and sister’s keeper” (“It’s On Us ND- The Three D’s of Being an
Active Bystander” by Notre Dame - Moreau Week Four). It is our responsibility to serve others,
not merely just a suggestion. Carla Harris echoes this point in her first “pearl” of wisdom, in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=2
https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view
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which she says, “It is what you do for others that counts” (“2021 Laetare Medalist Address" by
Carla Harris - Moreau FYE Week 5). The purpose of life is to serve God and thus serve others.
Personal accomplishments are good, but how we serve others is what really matters. In order to
serve God and others, I am continuing to express vulnerability in forming diverse relationships at
Notre Dame so that I am able to have a broadened perspective and properly love others.
The great love from God and others is visible in my life, and I have a duty and a desire to
share that love with others. Notre Dame harbors a diverse community of individuals, all with
different experiences and worldviews, which creates the perfect opportunity to broaden one’s
perspective of other groups of people. I would like to respond to God’s love by serving Him and
others, which requires me to be vulnerable and have an accurate view of others’ experiences. At
Notre Dame, I will continue to fulfill my duty in life and make use of the blessings God has
given me by knowing, loving, and serving others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4