Integration 2- Moreau FYE Andrew Whittington 3 December 2021 Responding to Differing Views and Lifestyles Being a part of the Notre Dame community is a great blessing. I have been very happy my first semester here, and I would not rather be at any other college. What makes Notre Dame’s community so great is its special mix of faiths, lifestyles, viewpoints, and talents. I have enjoyed encountering the diversity within the community, but the greatest diversity I encountered was in the lifestyles and viewpoints. Through encountering diversity in lifestyles and viewpoints, I have found my goal in this community, which is to imitate Christ. The first thing I have encountered at Notre Dame is differing lifestyles. Coming into college, I was really excited to finally meet people that had the same interests as I do. In high school, I connected to my friends in ways that do not relate my deep interests, which are music and religion, so it was an expectation of mine that at college I would finally meet people who could connect with me through these interests. Specifically, I was looking for people to play rock music with and to share my faith with–I figured that these people would be my best friends. I was surprised when I got here how hard it was to actually meet these people. I could not find anyone who had the same lifestyle as me, who would rather play instruments or go to mass than drink every weekend night. I can definitely relate to Emery Bergmann’s description of college. She said, “The worst part was that I felt as if I were the only one who was this lonely. I’d see all these freshmen walk in packs — just massive groups of friends already formed in the first two weeks of school” (“Advice from a Lonely College Student” by Emery Bergmann - Moreau FYE https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/well/family/advice-from-a-formerly-lonely-college-student.html Week 9). All of these people were forming acquaintanceships early on, but I was being very particular because I only wanted to form life-giving friendships. My very strict expectations for friends had been quite limiting. In her article about expectations, Julia Hogan said, “The point is, these expectations are all arbitrary and not definitive rules for the only way to live life” (“Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit” by Julia Hogan - Moreau FYE Week 9). I do not think my expectations were completely arbitrary, but they definitely were not the only way to live life. Going forward, I know I need to be a bit more open to different lifestyles so that I can form more diverse friendships, and I will eventually find my perfect matches. The second thing I have encountered at Notre Dame is differing viewpoints. I really enjoy talking about religion and politics with people. I have had conversations with some people where we agree on everything and some conversations where we agree on almost nothing. I say “almost” because deep down most of the people I disagreed with actually have the same values and goals as me, but they have a different method of approaching the problem. In his article about Critical Race Theory in schools, Christopher Devron described the two groups debating the issue, “One wants our schools to more clearly embody dignity, belonging and justice for marginalized groups. The other expects us to help our students transcend superficial differences and racial constructs by emphasizing our common humanity” (“Should Catholic Schools Teach Critical Race Theory?” by Christopher J. Devron, S.J. - Moreau FYE Week 10). What this shows is that in many political debates, the values at heart are the same. Once an agreement on core values is established, it is a lot easier to persuade someone to agree with you. In his speech, Fr. John Jenkins said, “Our attempts to express our convictions should take the form of an effort to persuade. If I am confident in my beliefs, and I have love and good will for the other side, then it would be my duty to try to persuade them” (“Wesley Theological Seminary Commencement” by https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/03/critical-race-theory-catholic-high-schools-black-lives-matter-240792 https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/03/critical-race-theory-catholic-high-schools-black-lives-matter-240792 https://president.nd.edu/homilies-writings-addresses/wesley-theological-seminary-commencement/ Fr. John Jenkins - Moreau FYE Week 10). I completely agree with him that persuasion is an act of love, not hate. When it comes to debates, the purpose is not only to prove another person wrong. Rather, the purpose is to persuade the person into a different line of thinking. I have experienced a very great diversity of viewpoints, and I enjoy being immersed in it. In the talk about diversity, Agustin Fuentes said, “Exposure and access to different viewpoints and life experiences offers insight and changes biases” (“Diversity Matters!” by Agustin Fuentes - Moreau FYE Week 11). I agree that encountering different viewpoints is important for us so that we critically examine our own views. I will continue to fully embrace the diverse viewpoints that I encounter and have important conversations with the people I meet. Although I have encountered greatly differing lifestyles and viewpoints, I know that I will find my spot in the Notre Dame community. Being in this community means that I will not only impact others but also be impacted by others. In one conversation I had with a non-religious girl, she said that as a Catholic, I should be guiding others to my faith by my example. I completely agreed with her, and the Jesuits had the exact same belief of “lead by example.” In the publication about Christian education, Rev. James Kind wrote, “ Striving for completeness means spending one’s life as a citizen of this world imitating the person of Christ as the gateway to citizenship in heaven” (“Holy Cross and Christian Education” by Rev. James King- Moreau FYE Week 12). In this way, I agree that as long as I am imitating Christ, I will be successfully leading by example and filling my spot in the community. If I imitate Christ, I will impact the people God wants me to impact, and I will meet the friends God wants me to meet. The diversity of viewpoints and lifestyles has been a core part of my integration into the Notre Dame community. My first semester has not been perfect, but I am still very happy. The diversity has allowed me to meet a great variety of people, which has had an impact on me and https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=d14a0472-9c0e-44ea-bd39-53c67ee1d436 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28308/files/189414?module_item_id=106246 https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/03/critical-race-theory-catholic-high-schools-black-lives-matter-240792 hopefully an impact on them too. Through all of this, I have remained hopeful and optimistic about my future, and I am sure that I will eventually find my perfect spot within the community. Now and next semester, I will keep trying to imitate Christ in my words and actions so that I can fulfill my vocation within this community.