The Moral Vision
After Being Broken
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AFTER BEING BROKEN
The atom is the final unit of matter, just as the
individual is the final unit of society. If one
succeeds in breaking an atom one does not destroy
it; rather one converts it into a greater force, known
as atomic energy. Matter is energy in a solid form
and energy matter in a dispersed form. When the
atoms of matter are broken and converted into
atomic energy, they are transformed into a force
much more potent than in their material form.
A locomotive consumes two tons of coal in seventy
miles; a motorcar uses up a gallon of petrol every
twenty to forty miles. But when uranium weighting
just twelve pounds is converted into atomic energy,
it is able to convey a high-speed rocket on a 40,000-
mile journey into space. That’s how great the
difference is between ordinary material energy and
atomic energy.
So it is with that unit of society known as man.
When man is ‘broken,’ his horizons expand vastly.
Just as breakage does not destroy matter, so defeat
does not ruin man. Matter increases in strength
