Integration 4

Prompt 1

To me, spirituality is the intersection of religion and self-reflection.

Belonging to a religious group gives you a formal foundation and shared
experience with those around you, but fostering a habit of introspection is
what allows for a unique faith experience. Even if you do not belong to a
religion, having reasoning as to why not gives the same sort of support.
Understanding what faith means to you as an individual is what constitutes
spirituality in my opinion. Spirituality has permeated my experience at Notre
Dame thus far, and one occasion that helped me grow in my spirituality was
my experience at the Tender, Strong, and True freshman class retreat. Unlike
other retreats I’ve attended, the TST retreat was lead entirely by students, and
the other freshmen were all incredibly open about sharing their faith
experiences. Hearing about the journeys that others have gone through
catalyzed my own self-reflection on faith, thus fostering a growth in spirituality.
The Holy Cross pillar of Mind is deeply connected to the pursuit of spirituality;
gaining spirituality requires a personal determination to seek a deeper
purpose in life. Gaining spirituality greatly benefits the Holy Cross pillar of
Heart, as an understanding of yourself can allow you to grow by actively
engaging in your community through service. I learned a lot about spirituality
in Father Lou DelFra’s week 5 Ted Talk on faith. His spirituality lead him to not
only identify the issues in his, but also have the courage to combat them head
on. Going forward, I hope to more deeply engage my spirituality and apply it to
my life through more frequent service work.
 Integration 4
Prompt 2

It’s very easy to see vulnerability as a weakness; our generation has

been conditioned to be strong rather than emotionally transparent. So, when I
began Brene Brown’s week 8 Ted Talk on vulnerability, I was skeptical of her
theories. I came to respect the concept of vulnerability when Brown agreed
with how awkward it can feel sometimes. Her insistence that we should learn
how to “lean in” to the discomfort of vulnerability empowered me to recognize
the inherent privilege in being completely open with those around you. In our
lives, happiness comes at the times, which we are most honest with others,
and ourselves. Essentially, we are at our happiest when we are at our most
vulnerable. I have never felt more inspired by vulnerability than when I
attended the Show Some Skin event this year. The monologue authors were
leaning into the discomfort of vulnerability in a huge way; although they were
not identifying with their stories, they were doing something perhaps even
more remarkable: they were putting their full trust in their fellow Notre Dame
students to treat their stories with the unique respect they all deserved. This
experience and the concept of vulnerability in general are firmly connected
with the Holy Cross pillar of Family; recognizing and embracing the support of
the Notre Dame community allows us to be more honest about our
experiences, good or bad. Similarly, subsequent happiness gives us the gift of
the Holy Cross pillar of Hope. The comfort of knowing that we’ve been honest
with those around us helps us think more positively about the future. Going
forward, I hope to become more comfortable with the concept of vulnerability
and employ it in my personal relationships.