AFTER BEING BROKEN

After Being Broken ~ 207 ~ 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 40,000mile 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