Constructing this editorial, and indeed this issue, was a major problem for us at The Maroon. As a whole, we are exhausted and burnt out, both on our responsibilities with the paper and at school. We are, even those of us who are graduating and taking the plunge into real world, waiting eagerly for summer break, and anything between us and it feels simply like one more obstacle.

But summer break is not a common thing outside of the educational system, which is sometimes difficult to recall. Even those of us who are not graduating from Loyola are still adults, sitting on the cusp of a world quite different from the educational system we have inhabited all our lives. All people everywhere work to live, and our present indifference means nothing in the face of the fact that we too must do so, sooner rather than later.

However, reality need not be an oppressing burden. Though finals, and the wider world, stand before us, they shouldn’t stand in our way. Adulthood is not about forsaking joy, it is about balancing that joy with responsibility and getting work done so we can better savor life’s pleasures – whether that means drinking daiquiris in the sun or listening to the many wonderful sounds of Jazz Fest.

Regardless of whether it will be a break, summer is here, with all the many glories that come with it. Some of us will be able to sample these joys extensively during the summer, while others will work, or study or plan for their future. None of these things are necessarily wrong – everyone approaches life differently – but they are only correct if you do what truly want to do. Cater to your heart, not your laziness; when you feel the need to do work, do it, and when you feel the need to vanish to the Fly for several hours with a six-pack of beer and few choice friends, do that too.

Growing up is not about surrendering yourself to despair. It is about finding the balance between your desires and your responsibilities so that you can live a full life, contributing something of value to the world and drinking in life’s many joys.

You only live once. Don’t waste that life, either by failing to make it meaningful or by failing to truly savor it.

This editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board named above.