From the moment we are born, we are forced to live in a state of chaos. All around us is a sublime salad of the unpredictable and the untamable. In our bodies alone are never ending cycles of life and death, in our hearts a flagrant mixture of good and evil that we fool ourselves into thinking we have control over. In nature is the constant battle for survival of the fittest set against an ever changing backdrop. Certainly, this birthright of ours can take on many forms, but perhaps the one we are most familiar with is that projected on the news media. Nine times out of ten, we listen to the news and hear nothing but the tragedies surrounding the world.Everyday, children starve in their beds,lifetimes of memories are engulfed in flames, and it seems more and more that innocent people are wilting like flowers at gunpoint. In a moment of silence and with our eyes glued to the television screen, we sit in terror at the thought of being the victim, rejoicing that we are not.
   

But in these moments of darkness comes something stronger than steel, and infinitely more powerful: hope. As the adage goes, what does not kill you makes you stronger. Individuals faced with obstacles are forced to overcome or be overtaken. Especially as a nation, when we stare straight into the eyes of adversity we must make the choice of banding together.  When our foundation crumbles beneath us, our only option is to rebuild, enlisting the help of neighbors we forgot we had. Hate, violence, chaos: they drive destruction but in their midst is the  whisper of that age old promise of prosperity. Such elements lead us to test the soil of the present and sow the seed for a better tomorrow. For how can we reach the top until we have known rock bottom?