Capstone Integration
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Choosing to Live
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you
did for me" (Matthew 25:40).
The Parable of Sheeps and Goats in Matthew 25 is one of many of Jesus’ lessons that
demonstrate what a life well-lived entails. To live for others, to silence one’s pride and take the
burden of another, this is to live as and for Jesus. In my initial mission statement I remarked that
to better the world, I must first better myself. I think I should revise that now and say that
bettering the world is equally important for bettering ourselves. It is a delicate equilibrium.
Therefore, as I look forward to these next few years at Notre Dame, and the many years after, I
hope to find the balance between the two. To develop the gratitude, patience, and empathy
necessary to go out into the world, but also the same traits to step back from the world and
appreciate it (Moreau FYE Week 13).
Erik Erikson was a prominent psychologist who is most recognized for his stages of
psychosocial development. As an individual ages, they experience different crises, for instance as
an infant, they have to deal with trust versus mistrust, or during a midlife crisis you have to deal
with generativity vs stagnation. At age 19, between Erikson’s range of 13-21, he proposed that I
am experiencing identity vs confusion, which I would say is incredibly fitting for where I am
right now. During my teenage years I have felt overwhelmed by the number of possibilities and
responsibilities in my life. Looking back, I thought that the IB tests I took and the
extracurriculars I participated in were crucial to me getting into the college I dreamed of and the
successful life I imagined; everything I did depended on them. And now, I find myself living the
exact same way, as if I learned nothing from the amount of unnecessary stress and countless
opportunities I skipped. Creating an identity centered around which “x” I am a part of or
accepted to is a very fragile one, because every imperfect test result or every missed club
meeting is ego shattering. Focusing so much on the future strips me of the present. You would
think that because we have an infinite amound of “presents” we would find ourself in it more
often (Integration Three - FYE Moreau Week Eight). A solution to this was introduced in week
one: self-reflection. It’s the idea of being able to detach ourselves from all of the crippling
expectations and doubts about the future and anchoring ourselves in the now ("Why we need to
slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). It just takes five minutes to shift
an entire perspective (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week Two). It begs the
question, how can I live versus simply being alive?
I will foster relationships with everybody that I can. I believe it is a sad reality that
humans have stratified ourselves into “us” and “them”. “Why the only future worth building
includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis - FYE Moreau Week Seven). I think part of the
human experience is realizing that you share it with billions of others. Everybody is going
through something, and while it easy to get caught up in our own affairs, one of the most
therapeutic exercises is taking on the burdens of others. At the beginning I talked about how I
wanted to develop gratitude before I go off into the world, but I believe gratitude is often found
when you immerse yourself in the chaos around you. In South Bend you can drive just five
minutes off campus and enter an entirely different reality; grades have been my biggest stress
here, but it is a very local reality that individuals are wondering where their next meal will come
from. Waking up in a bed, having internet, drinking clean water—these are privileges that we
take for granted every day. This is why in both my career and in my life in general, I hope to
always provide a preferential option for the poor. Provide is one of the essential words to the
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mission statement because it is an action word. It requires giving, even sacrificing, not just being
passionate about it (“Passion Isn’t Enough” by Hidden Brain Media - FYE Moreau Week 12).
One of the greatest tensions experienced is the amount of wealth we have yet the amount of
poverty that still exists. We have an opportunity to make a change because we are alive and
witnesses (“Dean G. Marcus Cole: 'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do
something.” by Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week 12). While I am not expecting individuals to
donate their fortunes to countries like Haiti or Rwanda, I do hope that we can grow more
empathetic to the suffering present in the humans around us, not just the labels we give to make
them seem more distant (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by
Professor Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). In a more general sense, I hope to
provide a preferential option to the oppressed—to those who encounter inherent and structural
socioeconomic barriers that I can hardly fathom (“Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People
About Racism” by Dr. Robin D’Angelo Moreau FYE Week Ten).
I will be patient with where I end up after college. For the longest time I wanted to be an
oncologist, and this year I have considered teaching or being an international public health
worker, but now I can confidently say, I have no clue where I will end up. That would have
scared me for most of my life, but I have started to become more patient with where I end up and
more concerned with how I get there. Understanding my foundation—what makes me happy,
what am I good at, and who can I help—is critical to not only occupying a fulfilling job, but
living a fulfilling life ("Three Key Questions" Fr. Michael Himes - FYE Moreau Week Three). I
had the privilege of meeting a physician’s assistant in my hometown through IrishCompass, and
I found the conversation became more centered around the traits she brought and acquired to and
from the job, versus the job itself ("Week Five IrishCompass Activity" - FYE Moreau Week
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Five). It does not matter what job you have or what salary you make, if you cannot see what you
offer to the job, or what your job offers to you and those around you, you will be miserable
("Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - FYE
Moreau Week Four).
To end on a quote from Father Hesburgh, “All of us are experts are practicing virtue at a
distance” ("Hesburgh" by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - FYE Moreau Week Two).
Gratitude, patience, and empathy are all things I can easily write and preach about, but living
them is an entirely different thing. The biggest obstacle to living a life well-lived is choosing not
to live—to let life fly right by you and let your body just carry you through the motions.
However, choosing to live sparks a joy that you will want to share with the whole world, and that
is how you make the world a better place.
https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/
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