Integration One Integration One What Do I Believe? The Power of Love Throughout high school psychology, my teacher always told us that humans are complex, so it is not easy to predict their feelings and behavior. This idea struck me: each of us have unique experiences, perspectives, and beliefs that make us into the people we are. In my life, I am influenced by my family, friends, environment, culture, and so much more. These aspects all shape who I am and consequently what I believe. Upon deep reflection, I have come to realize that I believe in the importance of love, and this can be seen through my root beliefs. One of my root beliefs is that I believe I am made to spread love to other people. Growing up, I always learned about the importance of kindness and love. Being raised Catholic has provided me guidelines with how to treat others. From Sunday school classes when I was little where we colored pictures that said “Jesus loves me!” to scripture about treating others well, I have had this virtue emphasized in my life for as long as I can remember. My faith is a big factor that has shaped my beliefs—I wouldn’t be who I am today without God and the Catholic Church. When considering the ways in which stories have shaped my journey, I watched Fr. Kevin’s talk in which he stated that “a Catholic education means that every discipline that searches for truth, shares in that final and most beautiful truth that calls us to serve each other in love” (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove, Moreau FYE Week Five). This quote stood out to me because it is why I chose to attend Notre Dame. It was very important to me to pick a university that emphasized the importance of teaching love. Throughout my four years here, I hope to develop my ability to empathize with others and spread love. I am lucky that my faith has put me on the path to serve this goal. I even decided to make Confirmation here: an important step on my faith journey that will bring me closer to God. I hope that my relationship with Him will deepen, which will allow me to deepen my relationships with others as a result. Additionally, in the reading for searching for a framework, the article “Faith Brings Light to a Dark World” states that “The unexpected flashes of love in our lives illuminate reality, like a thunderbolt of lightning can illuminate the dark yard” (“Faith Brings Light to a Dark World” by Professor David Fagerberg, Moreau FYE Week Three). Throughout this article, the author compares faith to light that illuminates our lives. He mentions that an important component of faith is love—through our faith in God, we learn to love Him, ourselves, and others. Faith has taught me to love. As my faith develops, I will continue to spread love. Another root belief I possess is that I form life-giving relationships by treating the people in my life fairly and kindly. I am deeply enamored by the concept of love languages. I have always found it fascinating that people can feel the same way about each other but express this love in such different ways. My mom shows her love through acts of service—cutting up fruit as a snack even when I don’t ask, offering help and advice when I need it, and generally being there whenever I need her. My dad, however, shows his love through quality time. When we spend time together, even something simple like sitting outside together, I feel his love for me. I have always noticed the different ways that people love. I realized that in order to show love for the people in my life, I must love in their love language. My mom is happy when I offer help with cooking, and my dad is thrilled when I ask to go on a walk with him and our dog. Learning to treat others reciprocally builds life-giving relationships that last and fortify love in our lives. The article from searching for life-giving relationships states that “a good, healthy friendship is one where two people are mutually growing and on a path toward becoming better people” (“5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship” by Olivia T. Taylor, Moreau FYE Week Four). Life-giving relationships must benefit both individuals involved. This creates a relationship where both people help each other become better versions of themselves and spread love. It is important to treat people with fairness and kindness in order to be a loving person (as I wish to be). Another significant core belief I hold is that I believe I grow by doing my best to understand others, allowing for empathy and love to develop in turn. When I was young, I struggled in feeling empathy toward others—growing up as an only child unfortunately created some selfish tendencies. As I aged, however, I learned how to share and respect the feelings of others, and now I am quite empathetic. However, I cannot relate to everyone’s stories: as much as I can try, I can’t change the fact that different people experience unique struggles. I can listen to their stories, though, and try to be there for them. In Adichie’s TED Talk under the topic of identifying perspectives, she says “to insist on only… negative stories is to flatten my experience and to overlook the many other stories that formed me” (“The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Moreau FYE Week 7). In her talk, Adichie explains the influence of a single story on our perceptions of people and the world. To overcome the biases that these ideas may create, we must learn to listen to each other. If we respect the stories of others, we can better understand them, rather than reducing them to a single idea about their culture or life. This skill allows us to be empathetic: we may not be able to relate to the struggles of others, but we can help them through it. We can respect that these struggles are only part of what makes up a person. Like Adichie says, we must realize that people are more than negative stories about them. When we empathize with others, we feel closer to them, and can spread our love through our support. Additionally, I believe I grow by improving myself so that I can be a better version of myself in my relationships with others. This has always been a struggle for me—for years, I have experienced severe anxiety. Sometimes, I haven’t acted fairly toward others because of the stress I felt in these relationships. This isn’t a fair excuse, though. I can’t use my mental illness to defend unkind actions. Recently, I have gone on medication. Since then, my life has improved significantly, and I am better able to manage my anxiety. I also have been working to improve myself and better manage my stress: I exercise regularly, I sleep more, and I eat better than I used to when my anxiety was at its worst. I now can realize how my actions impact others. By improving myself, I improve how I treat others, allowing me to be kinder and more loving. Self-improvement is a goal that I always strive for. In the topic searching for belonging, Brené Brown says that “the one thing that keeps us out of connection is our fear that we’re not worthy of connection” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown, Moreau FYE Week One). With this quote, she argues that our ability to form relationships with others is hindered only by our own fears. If we can work to improve these vulnerabilities and realize that we are in fact worthy of love, we can be better versions of ourselves in our relationships with others. When we improve ourselves, we consequently improve our relationships as well. Through self-improvement, I grow as a person and can better spread love to others. While all these beliefs are different, they make me who I am. My root beliefs illustrate that I believe in the importance of spreading love and being kind to others. Throughout my time at Notre Dame, I know that these beliefs will further develop, and I will become the best, most loving version of myself that I can be.