14 October 2021 A Force for Good Throughout my short time here at the University of Notre Dame, I have put considerable thought into what my future will look like. As I ponder this question, I also wonder towards what purpose should I orient my life. As I think about my purpose, I have come to believe that I have a responsibility to promote the welfare of others. A responsibility not only to my immediate friends and acquaintances but to the larger human community as well. I believe that this responsibility stems from our shared humanity and that we have an obligation to learn more about each other. I also believe that the only way which we can truly learn about each other is if we are truly vulnerable and open to our weaknesses and strengths. I believe that through all these things, we can make the world a better place. I believe that we have an obligation to be open and honest with each other to help build upon a shared humanity. This is not necessarily an easy task, as it often requires us to b courageous and take a step back and take an honest survey of our strengths and weaknesses. Dr. Renee Brown touches upon this courage in her ted talk. “Courage, the initial definition of courage when it first came into the English language -it’s from the Latin word Cor, meaning heart- and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). When I examined my own strengths and weaknesses using the VIA Character strengths survey, I found that one of my weakest traits was love. The survey defines love as “valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing & caring are reciprocated; being close to people” (“VIA Character Strengths Survey” by VIA Institute on Character - Moreau FYE Week 2). By being vulnerable and willing to take an honest look at myself I learned that I need to improve in building relations with others so I can truly become more vulnerable. I believe that we are called to love one another to build a greater shared humanity. Jesus’s commandment of love helps us to not only grow closer to each other but also grow closer to him. As. Fr. Kevin Grove said, “We cannot love the God whom we cannot see if we don’t love the brother whom we do see” (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove – Moreau FYE Week 5. Despite the importance of love, some people attempt to corrupt this love to exploit it for their own gain. Throughout my time here at Notre Dame, I have unfortunately heard horror stories of abusive relationships. This idea is expanded upon in the video “Because I Love You, Double Whiskey.” One particularly powerful quote from the video is “Because I love you, you deserve to know what it feels like to be disrespected” (“Because I Love You, Double Whiskey” by One Love Foundation – Moreau FYE Week 4). This problem of abusive relationships is only exacerbated when alcohol and other drugs are added to the mix. I hope to make smart decisions while here at Notre dame so that no one feels disrespected or unsafe. Many people paint the feeling of disrespect in a relationship as a rite of passage, but it represents a dangerous lack of love for the other person. If these toxic relationships continue, they pose a serious risk for the safety and wellbeing of the victim involved. I believe that our obligation of love continues far beyond our immediate relationships and interactions. We have a duty to be welcoming and friendly to all people, regardless of their ethnic, racial, cultural, or sexual background. This can be a challenge because of our own implicit biases and subconscious assumptions. Personally, we all must work to counteract these biases and open ourselves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=3 https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register?registerPageType=popup https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register?registerPageType=popup https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwQ5ur9OZ-g up to truly getting to know the entire human community. Unfortunately, people often attempt to write the story of another based upon their assumptions and biases. This represents a dangerous power dynamic between the one who dictates and the one who is dictated. While at Notre Dame, I have seen people be stereotyped simply because they are from a certain place or because they act a certain way. Chimamanda Adichie provides her experience with other people writing her story in her TED talk. She says, “Power is the ability not to just tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person” (“The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Adichie – Moreau FYE Week 7). The idea of writing the definitive story of another person is dangerous because it can often overwrite the individual visions, beliefs, passions, and destinies for other people. I will work to control my own implicit biases and to not stereotype people based on my immediate perceptions of them. Stereotypes represent a dangerous way of preventing someone from telling their own story. Therefore, we must be willing to listen to them tell their own stories so that we can gain an honest sense of how they see themselves and what their vision of the world is. I believe that we all share a common mission to make the world a better place. As Father Sorin said, “This university has the opportunity to be one of the most powerful forces for doing good in the country.” I have taken this idea to heart as I look forward. While here at Notre Dame I hope to refine my vision for how I can be a force for good in this world. This fundamentally involves working to help benefit the lives of men and women all over the world. As Fr. Pete said, “The greatest journey you will ever go on is one of self-discovery” (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” by Fr. Pete McCormick – Moreau FYE Week 3). While here at Notre Dame I hope to discover how I can help to live out my vision of helping the world, but also come to develop a deeper appreciation for my fellow man. After all, we are all from a shared humanity, and it is essential to who we all are. Our backgrounds and influences play a tremendous role in who we are. I concluded my poem for week 6 with the lines “This is where I’m from, / Who I’m from” (“Where I’m From” by – Moreau FYE Week 6). By reflecting upon where we come from, as well as who we come from, we can best learn how we can give back to the broader human community and make the world a better place. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28314/assignments/30679?module_item_id=105663