Atoms and Ethics

Laughter Of Demokritos
© Hermead of Surazeus
2011 11 03

Excerpt from an epyllion about Demokritos,
from my epic Hermead about scientists.
Demokritos gives a speech about atoms and ethics.

Demokritos teaches basics of ethics
on foundation of concept that our Kosmos
swirls in vortex of atoms to form life.
"Everything is structure of shooting atoms
that swirl in tight vortex of energy
forming texture of all things that exist.
Construction is to build structure in shapes.
Destruction is to break structure in parts.
Whether any action is good or bad
depends on value in process result
of construction and destruction of things.
When humans intervene in natural process
we choose by free will to participate
supporting life against chaos of death
and work to create order by our actions
producing material assets of wealth
by growing and creating things from Earth.
We assess aspects of each situation,
analyzing character for true value
to understand well cause and consequence
if actions set in motion sequence flow
of events that produce desired result,
fostering growth to nourish bodies and souls.
Actions that destroy we want to avoid.
Actions that create we want to pursue.
Sometimes actions that destroy we call good
and actions that create may warrant bad.
Some situations are stacked with deep levels
of consequence, so destroying one thing
may preserve good life of another thing.
We consider it bad to kill a man,
yet if that man is oppressing good men
or abusing women for his own gain,
striking to kill that man will be called good,
for destroying him preserves common health.
We fight brutal struggle for life in storm
of hunger, rage, chaos, darkness, and fear,
so actions of our hands, fueled by vision
of our minds constructed from information
gathered by our senses, we gear toward progress
of common good for survival and growth
of our whole group, thus decisions we make
are based on health of everyone involved.
Our whole universe is composed of atoms,
that form our bodies in random production,
so good and bad results from social actions
are analyzed on worth of chosen values
to create or destroy structures of things.
To understand how actions we select
cause construction or destruction of things
or people, wanting to preserve our souls
in health and happiness to thrive in joy,
we study how our Kosmos is designed
by random swirl of atoms to congeal
in structure of flesh that supports our soul,
and thus we may act right for common good
on base of ethic values we create.
Our universe is constructed of atoms,
and we participate in process of life,
performing through our actions good and bad,
born to struggle for small moments of peace
and pleasure when we share succulent love,
then we die and disappear without trace,
for our consciousness glows, a fragile flame,
one short flash in dream of infinite nothing.
We are born, laugh, love, sing, then sleep forever."