Passionate opinions can still be spoken respectfully

Editor’s note: About 1,000 students from high schools throughout Southern Nevada participated in the 62nd annual Sun Youth Forum on Nov. 29. The students were divided into groups to discuss a variety of topics. A representative was chosen from each group to write a column about the students’ findings. This essay addresses the issues covered by the Potpourri group.

There was something about walking into a room full of strangers to talk about some of our nation’s most controversial issues that made me feel slightly nauseated. However, at the 2018 Sun Youth Forum, I had the privilege of engaging in the most civil conversation I’ve ever had on subjects that actually matter.

The diversity of the room is what I noticed first. I sensed that the day’s conversation would foster a unique passion.

The question “How can America respond to gun violence in our country?” sparked a great deal of energy.

We talked extensively about the connection between mental illness and gun-related crime, and a majority of us agreed there should be more thorough background checks that include mental health analysis.

When our moderator asked who among us would be willing to do away with the Second Amendment to address gun violence, we were initially divided. But we eventually we reached something of a conclusion — that addressing an extreme issue with an extreme solution really isn’t a solution at all. Many agreed that taking everyone’s guns away was definitely not the answer, but that we won’t start seeing true progress until we adopt stricter gun regulations, such as requiring gun safety courses for gun owners, expanding background checks and limiting the types of guns available for sale to the general public.

Another question that piqued the room’s interest was, “What are your fears and anxieties about becoming an adult?”

Responses included not knowing how to do taxes and fear of following a career path that the person would end up loathing. One person said they were afraid of bringing children into the world, given the direction humanity is going both environmentally and politically. That person feared that the world was headed toward ruin as the result of either nuclear war or climate change.

In the end, however, we agreed that stressing over the inevitable is pointless. And although we are living in a world where it seems like there is tragedy everywhere we look, we have the choice to spend our time either worrying or living.

We concluded our discussion with a topic that has sparked a lot of controversy in recent years: “Is kneeling for the national anthem disrespectful?” Collectively, the room agreed that it is a peaceful form of protest, and as long as the protester is not being deliberately disruptive, it should be respected as an exercise of the First Amendment.

One valid point was that what is considered disrespectful is completely subjective, but what matters is that you are standing up for what you believe in.

Overall, I took away two things: First, there is value in finding a compromise, even on the toughest of subjects. Second, the intellect, drive, and passion of my peers gives me hope for the future.