Moreau Integration 3 3/2/22 1 Professor Chan Moreau FYE 03March 2022 Writing my Eulogy Writing a eulogy is a task that, on the surface, appears quite morbid. No one wants to think about death even if it is the unfortunate reality of every living organism, including humans. It is something that we will all have to face some day and, whether we have come to terms with it or not, it will happen. This is a question with a deeper meaning, though. It is not only meant to make one think about death, but also about the meaning of their life and what they want others to take from it. When we have passed away, we will not be able to affect people’s lives any more, but the impression we left on them during our time on Earth will remain. For me, this is what the question of “write your eulogy” means to me: to share what you hope your life brought to others. Learning about the life of Father Hesburgh gave me grounds for what a life well lived is. Throughout his life, he constantly worked towards improving the world he lived in. This was especially present in his participation in the Civil Rights Movement where he worked to push Civil Rights in the south. I admired how he was able to bring together the three democrats and two republicans in order to agree on recommendations for the US government regarding the effect the lack of Civil Rights had on people (University of Notre Dame)(“Hesburgh” produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two)(University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries). Every one of Father Hesburgh’s actions were guided by the will of God, https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 2 which is what I valued about him. His life helped me define a part of my eulogy in which I want to emphasize my impact on others and my community. Pico Iyer’s text called “Why we need to slow down our lives” discussed the importance of taking a break from the overload of content we take in on a regular basis. Iyer compares it to standing closely to a large canvas, which makes it impossible to take in everything life has to offer (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). During a busy semester filled with stress especially during midterms week, this text has emphasized the importance of taking a step away from our technology, which are facilitators of the delivery of information we receive in our lives. I want this to be reflected in my eulogy by stating that I was a person who understood that there is more to life than school or work or social media. I knew when to step away from everything and experience life for what it is. Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble’s practice of memento mori, which is to think about death in order to appreciate life, was quite unexpected for me (“Meet the Nun Who Wants to Remind You That You Will Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). On the surface, having so much emphasis on death seems morbid just as writing my own eulogy does, but it as well has a deeper meaning. Practicing memento mori seems unusual for a nun, but it allows one to think about how they can make the most of every day. Whether it is something simple like taking a rest day, talking to a family member, or exercising, small actions towards something meaningful to someone allows for them to make the most of their life and can even help uplift other’s lives. Although Sister Theresa’s methods seem unorthodox, there is value in keeping an open mind towards what she believes. https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html 3 When I think about my future career, I think about high school and how far away going to college felt when I was a freshman. The time to apply and plan on going to college, however, came quicker than I expected it to. Now as a freshman in college, I am faced with thinking about my future career, something that seems so far away, but will arrive sooner than I expect just as it did in high school. Thinking about my future career for QQC four reminded me of how short life is (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). I want to be remembered as someone who uplifted and motivated others by using the future as motivation to keep going. The struggles we as college students endure make it difficult to remember what it is all for: graduation day. Walking down the stage to receive my degree in Mechanical Engineering is my motivation for enduring the struggles, which is what I hope to share with others. My conversation with my sister for QQC five allowed me the opportunity to gain insight on what others believe I am passionate about (“Discernment Conversation Activity” by Moreau FYE - Moreau FYE Week Five). Although she seemed to confirm much of what I believed about myself, it brought an insight about myself, which is that I seem to know what I enjoy in life. This is important to me because it has always been difficult for me to define my character, but knowing that working with mechanical systems and learning about how they work is what I am passionate about is progress towards understanding who I am. Being at Notre Dame, though, has expanded the list of things I am passionate about. For example, I found that I enjoy learning Calculus. Even though I have struggled with math in the past, seeing the vast amounts of information we know about the subject and how they apply to our lives is a satisfying feeling. https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit 4 The class has grown much of what I knew and makes the struggles and long hours put towards homework assignments and studying for exams worth it in the end for me. Tasha Eurich’s writing on “the right way to be introspective” presented an unexpected reality to me that constantly looking inside myself can actually have a negative impact on my well being (“The right way to be introspective (yes, there’s a wrong way)” by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six). I tend to think a lot about my actions, which helps me work towards improving myself, but these thoughts tend to weigh me down especially when I do not see myself improving. I want to be someone who is known for using the right amount of introspection in order to improve myself for others. Father Greg Boyle’s writing “Tattoos on the Heart” helped me piece together the last piece of my eulogy, which is to not lose faith in people. This mainly came from when Father Greg corrected Gato after he said he was glad Flaco was hit by a car last night. Gato felt regret for what he said and made it up by asking Father Greg to tell Flaco that he hopes he recovers soon (“Tattoos on the Heart” by Father Greg Boyle - Moreau FYE Week Seven). I liked this because Gato was able to accept that he said the wrong thing. It shows that not everyone is too stubborn to accept their mistakes and do what they can to make it right. For my eulogy, I want my personality to reflect this idea that people are worth giving second chances and that I was willing to offer it to them. Using all of the readings to piece together my eulogy, the overall message I want it to spread is that I was a person for the people that did what I could in order to help others be the best versions of themselves. I helped people through the hard times and enjoyed the good times with them. I forgave people when they wronged me and sought forgiveness when I wronged https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40288/files/524007/download?download_frd=1 5 them. I did my best throughout my life to follow God’s will, which is what gave my life purpose. I knew who I was and what I was passionate about. I lead my own path in life that, if it did not align with other’s paths, did not change itself. I had personal goals for myself that I met. Lastly, I want it to say that I was satisfied with what I accomplished in life. Even if there were things I wanted to do that I did not do, I am still content and happy with what I had the opportunity to do. 6 Works Cited University of Notre Dame. “Fr. Ted's Life.” Hesburgh.nd.edu, University of Notre Dame, https://hesburgh.nd.edu/fr-teds-life/champion-of-civil-rights/civil-rights-commission/. University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries. “Father Hesburgh: Life & Legacy.” Hesburghportal.nd.edu, University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries, https://hesburghportal.nd.edu/story-commission.html. https://hesburgh.nd.edu/fr-teds-life/champion-of-civil-rights/civil-rights-commission/