As forest fires burn, sightings of greenhouses in Northern California stand as a beacon of hope. As summer rages on, the usual first casualty is the rich foliage that the region is known for. Redwoods occupy a distinct place in the flora of the district.

While these trees are destined to become towering giants, all of them start as tiny, almost herb-like plants that are best nurtured in nurseries before being released into the wild. As such, they are a living symbol of the need to cherish and care for nature in order to ensure humanity’s survival.

For many tourists, Northern California is a region of contrasts. The country atmosphere in San Diego is a foil to the technical savvy of San Jose. San Francisco, meanwhile serves as an eternal bridge between the two cities, as exemplified by the Golden Gate bridge itself.

And if proponents succeed in subdividing the state of California into three distinct states, the known contrasts may serve as the important distinctions. Such probable separation is antithetical to the rampant amalgamation of cities as city halls clamor for greater economic clout.

However, the whole United States is in a wide state of flux, as the present federal government pursues a wide-ranging America first policy. Some say that present conditions are by far, the best test of democracy. At the same time, many sectors of American society are anxious about the future.

At no other time in history are more women marching into the streets to fight for equal rights as well as pay. Pro gun control rallies are also on the rise. But while all these developments may seem chaotic, they can well be birth pains of better days to come. Like Charles Dickens once wrote–what is the worst of times can also be the best of times.

It’s a wake up call nonetheless for the American people who might someday wake up to the wall of America eclipsing the Great Wall of China. But if there is one thing that tumultuous events in human history has shown–it is men and women rising to the occasion. It’s not a mystery that more males than females were born during the first and second World Wars. Countries needed more soldiers in order to defend their sovereignty. Only nowadays, women can be soldiers as much as men.

Heroes and great leaders alike are born during extraordinary times like prayers heard and answered. But best of all, it is far better to be born during exciting instead of boring times. Just to have been a witness to the first leg of the Hyperloop in Los Angeles, the birth of reusable rockets, the possible colonization of Mars, the U.S. Space Force, and the reunification of the Korean peninsula—are events worth living for after the fall of the Berlin Wall.