As high school students we have every right to have fun. In fact, I think a lot of people would encourage it. They would tell us to enjoy our youth and have fun before the burdens of adulthood catch up to us. 

Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, we are living in a time where there are a lot of new boundaries and fences surrounding our fun. 

The pandemic is not an ideal situation for anybody, but sometimes it feels particularly unfair for us teenagers who are supposed to be out exploring the people and places around us. And although it is frustrating there comes a time where we have to start holding ourselves as young adults accountable for our actions.

When OPRF decided to temporarily cancel extracurricular activities last semester, I, like a lot of my peers, was very upset.

I watched as a lot of my classmates expressed their rage and dissatisfaction with our current situation, and felt they had every right to do so. But I also could not help but notice some hypocrisy.

Students were protesting this shutdown, intended to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, saying it was unfair and unnecessary. But then some of those same students were going to parties afterward, maskless. 

I think it is perfectly normal for teenagers to party. Going to large events where people are not wearing masks might not be the best choice right now, but it is every person’s choice to make for themselves.

The problem comes after people decide to go to these parties and then complain about the repercussions of their actions.

Everybody makes mistakes, and that is OK. But we as young adults are getting to a point in life where it is necessary to take responsibility for our actions and how they affect other people.

You have every right to choose to go to a large gathering where people are not taking the proper precautions to stop themselves from getting sick. But you can’t turn around after doing that and get mad when rules get stricter because more people are getting sick. 

If you want to party go right ahead, but then you may not get to do all your extra curriculars the way you want to. That is a repercussion of a choice you made.

I think a lot of this comes back to our communities’ general problem with accountability. One might think that OPRF students would be great at holding each other accountable for their actions because of the way young people have adopted “cancel culture.” But at the end of the day the people consistently causing problems and making bad choices remain untouched by their peers. People are too scared to call each other out. There is a lack of consequence that allows poor decision making to thrive.

At the end of the day you will not always make the right choice. Life is about making mistakes and dealing with the consequences and growing and learning from them. 

But I think people need to start reflecting about the choices they are making and how they are affecting other people. We need to start practicing taking responsibility for our actions.