How do I pursue a life well-lived?

How I pursue a life well-lived should be a life-long question and the answer to which won’t be revealed until the end of one’s life since time is the only limit of what a person can achieve in his or her years alive. 
However, starting to think about a life well-lived and composing a mission statement in the first year of college is meaningful since these 4-year-period will greatly influence my worldview in the foreseeable future. 
	I tried to slow down this semester to thoroughly think about what I want to learn from this university. Just like Pico Iyer indicated in his article, slowing down can help us think over about ourselves and find a more focused direction of marching (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). In the beginning, I was quite stressed about “choosing the wrong direction.” But a quote from Fr. Hesburgh, “It wasn’t how I expected to serve the country, but I was serving in my own way (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’ Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two),” brought me confidence. No matter what academic degree I choose, a Notre Dame education will endow me with the ability to make a difference. Although when the opportunity will come is unknown, there’s no need to panic since the only thing worth attention is to grab the present. 
	By asking myself what I want to bring to my community and the society instead of why I am so eager about transferring into Mendoza (“The right way to be introspective (yes, there’s a wrong way)” by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six), I realized that money and social status is not what I want. Business for me is the most powerful tool to promote social changes since capital is the blood of development and the propulsion for changes. I want to use Business to do good for society. 
What improvements can I make? What aspects am I going to focus on? Pope Francis told us that “None of us is an island, an autonomous and independent ‘I,’ separated from the other (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven).” Notre Dame vision itself as a place “welcome all people, regardless of color, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social or economic class, and nationality, for example, precisely because of Christ’s calling to treat others as we desire to be treated. We value gay and lesbian members of this community as we value all members of this community (“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” by University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Ten).” Yes, the world and the school should be inclusive, and myriad people are trying their best to fulfill the vision. But there’s still a long way to go for the world to become a truly inclusive one. My experiences with my roommate made me realize how sexual minorities are suffering on campus. The fear of being not like the mainstream student body, the anxieties about not being able to get involved in the single-sex dorms, and the lack of confidence to communicate with other people brought them hard times. Notre Dame is not anti-LGBTQs and the school has measures to support the group; however, the Catholic culture is innately remote from an LGBTQ-friendly community. How can we reconcile these conflicts on and even beyond the campus?
	“Yes, I am alive, and George Floyd is dead. I can breathe; he cannot. (“Dean G. Marcus Cole: 'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.'” by Dean G. Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week Twelve)” These words remind us that not having fatal experiences of being discriminated against does not mean we are not victims. Racial discrimination is related to everyone in the society, while African Americans’ sufferings are not the whole picture. How can we make Notre Dame more diverse while maintaining its culture? How can I make sure students of any background are able to find a place here on campus? How can the growing racial conflicts in the United States be mitigated?
	All these experiences and questions generated by which helped me to choose business and Global Affairs as my two majors. While business enables me to understand how modern society runs, Global Affairs deepens my understanding of cross-cultural communications and social phenomena like LGBTQs, racial disharmony, and religious conflicts on a macro basis. 
	Focusing on the upcoming three years in college, I plan to propose measures to improve the well-being of sexual minorities on campus. For example, we can add content about embracing sexual minorities around us by using eloquent theological explanations in the Moreau classes. I also want to explore a career path in socially beneficial investing to diverge money into companies or organizations that are contributing to a more equal world. 
	Focusing on my entire life, I want to become a power of good in society, forming strong and long-lasting bonds with people, and bringing happiness to beloved ones.
The world we live in today is suffering. Environmental degradation is constantly speeding up, and most humans are not taking it seriously. Should no effective measures be taken, liveable earth would become history sooner than everybody expected. Everyone is responsible to address and even solve the issue. I am eager to join the trend and try my best to secure a brighter future for the earth.
The people around the world are suffering. Inequalities in ethnicities, genders, regions and social classes are separating society at an unseen speed. As someone who has been quite empathetic, I can feel the pains and I would like to bridge these gaps, and even advocate for more people to join. 
I value all kinds of connections to different people. Sincere and deep relationships should be formed through communication, cooperation, and mutual understanding. Family, friends, and lovers: I am more than fortunate to encounter any people I encountered in my life since the world is so big and the possibilities of getting to know each other are so low. The best way of showing gratitude for these beautiful possibilities is to cherish these relationships. My parents sacrificed a lot to provide me with a world-class education in the past years. They endowed me with their precious experiences and a higher start point compared to many else. I am more than privileged and blessed to have their love, and it is crucial for me to take family responsibility as soon as possible and pay them back. My best friends supported me for many years and carried me through difficult times of my life. I also want to do more for them. 

If all the above-mentioned goals and objectives were met, I would have little reluctance to death anymore. Sister Alethia, a nun who spent years emphasizing the significance of remembering death, once said that “remembering death keeps us awake, focused, and ready for whatever might happen–both the excruciatingly difficult and the breathtakingly beautiful (“Mee the Nun Who Wants to You to Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three ).” People tend to forget that there always will be an end as they try their best to enjoy the very present. However, just like a full sentence must come with ending punctuation, it is death that makes life complete and one’s time limited. Always remembering that life is short helps me avoid wasting time, and eventually receive happiness. As long as I tried my best in this limited life, I am well-lived, and I am blessed.