FYE 10101: Integration 1




Mr. Andrew Whittington

Moreau FYE 10101: Integration 1

October 15 2021

My Ever-Expanding Scope of Life

“I am from sleeping in a room with two brothers all my life; two more down the hall”

(“Week 6 QQC - Identifying Influences” by  - Moreau FYE Week Six). As

the youngest of five boys, I have always been expected to perform up to par. With an

age gap of 10 years, by the time I was born, my brothers had already done most things

a child could do. As the youngest, I found myself comfortable in most situations

because my brothers had paved a nice path for me by keeping a good reputation.

However, at least one of them had performed exceptionally well at most activities I

participated in. While this seems like more of a good thing for me in that I had better

relations with certain teachers and the likes, it eventually began to wear on me due to

just being “little Christy,” as I was affectionately known by most of my brothers’ friends.

Eventually, during the middle school to a new highschool transition, I really found myself

searching for who I was. I wanted to look within myself in order to see who “Luke” was,

not who “little Christy” was. This search is what I believe to have marked the starting

point of my own life.

Next, a new chapter of my life had begun when I wanted to further develop my

true self. It is easy to stay comfortable behind the persona of who people within society

want you to be, but it is much more difficult to allow yourself to be vulnerable. As Dr.

Brené Brown reasoned, vulnerability is our path to finding ourselves within society: “In



order for connection to happen, we have to be vulnerable,” (“The Power of Vulnerability”

by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). Although this is much easier said than

done, I have found the reward to be peace of mind as I have tried working on revealing

myself to others more and more.

Naturally, being yourself is something that poses various difficulties due to

society. So often are we urged to do things that deviate from who we really are simply

because of societal norms. I struggled with this idea in highschool particularly because

of the push and pull of popularity and not getting the wrong person upset with you.

However, when I did this, it only pulled me further away from who I truly was, which

helped me realize that “in order to find yourself, you have to lose yourself,” (“Should You

Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Two).

Despite the paradox, I believe that it is essential to disconnect from who society wants

you to be in order to find who you truly are. Once I started realizing this, my life became

a lot more about what I wanted myself to be rather than what others wanted.

Regardless of the fact that my highschool career was spliced by the COVID-19

pandemic, the isolated second half allowed me to reflect on the thought of what I

wanted myself to be. Throughout this time, I went to a monastery in Arizona located in a

remote part of the state. It allowed me to reflect on where I was in the world, at what

point in my life I was in, and what I wanted for the next few years of my life. I understood

that I had to let God guide my life. My time in the desert can be summarized by the

words from a Notre Dame student, “Lead by faith, not by sight,” (“Text: "Student

Reflections on Faith" (curated by Campus Ministry)” by Lala - Moreau FYE Week

Three). I believe that keeping God at the center of one’s life is vital to finding oneself,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YVemqUBaAs5DNBPYm806TyQZr3F0xElP/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YVemqUBaAs5DNBPYm806TyQZr3F0xElP/view?usp=sharing


and understanding that we must lead our life by God’s will, not ours, is essential to

doing just that.

What followed my mini-revelation was the longing for finding like-minded people.

Coming from a catholic school in Chicago that was well-known, a lot of my friends only

chose to go there because their wealthy parents wanted them to attend. This created a

large discrepancy between my classmates and myself because I tried to use my

catholic education to grow intellectually and spiritually, but many of my friends had no

interest in doing so. As a result, I felt an urge to discover people that saw the world the

way I did. I wanted friends that would care about me beyond if I were with them on

Friday night or not. I began to look high and low for those like-minded people, but

regardless of how elusive they may seem to be, it proved that my friends were not truly

caring for me, bringing another realization: “Attention is the rarest form of love,” ("5

Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship” by Olivia T. Taylor, Grotto - Moreau FYE Week Four).

I believe that holding the same expectations for everyone will only disappoint your own

self. Different people act in different ways, and you should therefore hold expectations in

a relative manner.

By now, I was well aware of the path of personal development that I was on. I

had learned how to be my own person and step out of the shadow of my older brothers.

I had learned how to interact with different people and how to cultivate my own beliefs

regardless of what others around me pushed. I was becoming my own person, travelling

my own journey. I began to look beyond the narrow scope of my own perspective and

attempted to gain a wider one by looking through the lens of others. I learned that

everyone is on a similar path, and the only way I should act is how I would want others

https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28308/modules/items/105964
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28308/modules/items/105964


to interact with me, bringing me to one of the more profound quotes I have come

across: “To treat others the way that you want to be treated, to be of service to others,

and frankly, to help any one any way, any how you can, simply because you can,”

("2021 Laetare Medalist Address” by Carla Harris - Moreau FYE Week Five). I believe

that being an aide unto others is one of the most noble things you can do. Not noble in

the forgetful and overlooking eyes of society, but noble in the eyes of God. If it is within

your power to help someone, you must do everything you can.

Since, I have tried living a life of happiness. From my development outlined

above, I have realized that everyone is unique in their own way simply due to their own

experiences. When I arrived at Notre Dame, this truth has not only been more visible,

but it has helped me connect with people and learn from my peers who, likewise, have

their own unique experiences. As a result, I have only begun on the path to cultivating a

wider scope - a wider perspective - through which I may see the world, which agrees

with the statement: “Knowledge is conveyed not through facts but through emotional

experiences” (“How to Destroy Truth” - David Brooks, NY Times - Moreau FYE Week

Seven). I believe that we, as human beings, have an obligation to learn as much about

each other as we can. If we choose to go down this path of lifelong learning and attempt

to expand our perspective throughout our lives, we will find that virtue, most of all

peace, will follow.

https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28308/modules/items/106022
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/opinion/patriotism-misinformation.html?referringSource=articleShare
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/opinion/patriotism-misinformation.html?referringSource=articleShare