As college students make the transition from adolescence to adulthood, it becomes clear that life is full of complicated, difficult conversations. What used to be plainly black and white meld into a vast gray area that didn’t exist before. This messy middle ground can be complex to navigate, and the only way to get better at reading those gray-filled road maps is to practice having difficult discussions.

Having a difficult conversation is imperative to having a comprehensive look at an issue, especially the hot topic issues that fill the nightly newscasts in modern America. There are very few cut and dry matters at hand for Americans, and the nation needs to get better at creating a space for civil discourse.

Without these type of conversations, it is incredibly difficult to create solutions or plans of action without getting into screaming matches with our peers and loved ones. We have intense and uncomfortable things happening in today’s society, and we shouldn’t ignore that.

A college campus is an ideal place to talk with people of different dialects, opinions and backgrounds; members of the Grand Valley State University community should be using this to our advantage.

Lakers have a great opportunity to become educated and responsible citizens during their time at GVSU. It’s time to ensure we are utilizing the resources and wisdom from diverse individuals around us, instead of shying away from tricky and complex conversations for fear of upsetting one another.

Although the conversations we have may not be comfortable, or may not be about something we agree on, it is important to maintain an open dialogue on campus. These formative conversations are worth the frustration and frazzled nerves.

This semester, students at GVSU have the chance to set time aside in their schedules to have these difficult conversations about an issue at the forefront of many young people’s minds: racial social justice. The newly created Black Lives Matter course at GVSU is the perfect place to begin the facilitation of such imperative dialogues.

While there is a great deal of controversy surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and its methods, avoiding talking about such a prevalent social justice issue affects all Americans’ lives solves nothing.

The Lanthorn commends GVSU professor Lewis Moore’s efforts to create a constructive space at the university for students and faculty to have meaningful and productive discourse surrounding such controversial matters as police brutality and racial discrimination.

In moments of controversy and strife, members of society can choose to become informed and engaged, or they can turn their heads and look away when they feel uncomfortable.

As Lakers, we hope GVSU community members are courageous and curious enough to get their hands messy when it matters. No real progress can be made by hiding from discomfort.

Lakers, we encourage you to have those complicated, frustrating moments of growth and understanding with each other as we continue to become lifelong learners.

Progress–real, meaningful progress–will be uncomfortable, but that’s because it’s vital to a strong, healthy future.