Editor’s note: this editorial has been updated to reflect recent deaths in the Loyola community.

Tragedy often brings out the best in a family. It forces us to strip away all the unnecessary parts of life and focus on our sense of solidarity and love for each other. Still, when a member of a family dies, that death leaves a hole that could take lifetimes to fill.

Our Loyola family has been struck by four deaths in recent months, and like any family, we bear the burden of having to deal with the sadness that fills those holes.

And we do have to bear that burden. Our community is so small that when there’s a loss of life, everyone feels it in some way. Even if you didn’t know one of these people before they passed, chances are you know someone who did. If not, you still get the emails, hear people console each other and see the vigils.

In a Music Industry Studies Forum, Lo Faber said that change would come from our loss. He didn’t say what change that would be, and he didn’t have to, either. We don’t need to wait for any administrative response to change after these deaths.

College can be a difficult time. Many of us are truly on our own for the first time. The stress can seem like too much to overcome. The temptations are sometimes too strong.

There can be a social taboo on interfering in our friends’ lives. Maybe we don’t want to ask what’s going on so we don’t seem too emotional, or coax people we care about to talk so we don’t seem like we’re prying. Maybe we worry what’s troubling our friends is too big for us to handle. We should avoid thinking like this.

We have to look after each other. If our friends don’t have our backs, the rest of the world won’t. All that people might need in a difficult or dangerous time is to know that a friend cares about and is there for them. A simple, “are you okay?” could change the outcome of someone’s life.

The Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., stopped and spoke to some of our reporters the morning of one death. He said, with pain in his voice, “No parent should ever have to bury a child.” Adding to that, no student should have to lose their best friend, and no professor should have to eulogize a student.

The world lost four young people that it shouldn’t have. They should have gone on to sing, perform, educate and change the lives of those around them. This is a tragedy, and we should take time to mourn it.

However, there is hope to be found here. In the face of this tragedy is the triumph of the human spirit. Out of sadness for our lost ones comes love for those still with us. This love should never be forgotten or taken for granted, if only in their memory.

The editorial represents the majority opinions of The Maroon’s editorial board and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Loyola University.