Within every discipline or profession exists its own code of ethics. Most of these disciplines require coursework designed to enlighten and edify as to the ethical specifics of said discipline and the consequences for the breach of such.

Within society, a very similar, yet perhaps broader code exists, that one could argue is the sum of all legalities instituted for the good of all; legal vs. illegal, right vs. wrong, good vs. bad. Several wise men have suggested that ethical considerations surrounding these dichotomies should focus on property, either real or personal, although universally accepted definitions of each have proven elusive.

Aditionally, a grey (#notmychristian) area exists, however, when a child is raised without the guidance of a functioning moral compass and a behavior or action has somehow slipped through a judicial loophole, making its ethical position a bit more nebulous. What then?

I submit that all people could be governed by one simple ethical expectation. I learned it as a boy and while many times chose to ignore its value, continue to extol its virtues. 

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Matthew 7:12

Also known as The Golden Rule, the power and impact of this nugget is all too often overlooked, overshadowed, or ignored outright. I'll concede that I am rather simple and naïve, but will forever believe that this is all the ethics mankind should ever need.

        Socrates remarked in Plato's Republic that the cornerstone of justice is a matter of property. Ownership. What this means is what makes an act just, legal, ethical, or good, versus unjust, illegal, unethical, or wrong, is whether it violates a person's property. Socrates didn't expand upon the idea in great detail, but consider its implications. Murder is wrong because it involves the stealing of a life. Lying is wrong because it involves the stealing of a truth.

        A classic utilitarian ethical philosopher, such as John Stuart Mill, would provide a counterargument to these examples involving a lesser-between-two-evils dilemma. This antithesis arguably silences Socrates. Then again, he'd probably respond by illuminating that, nonetheless, what determines the lesser evil is ultimately an outcome devoid of theft, physical and nonphysical, tangible and intangible. The question this position undoubtedly begs, though, concerns how we define, determine, evaluate, and protect property. 

        It's time for the ethicists, lawyers, and politicians of our world to realize they are all ethicists, really, and it's time for the public sector ("law") and the private sector ("economy") to realize they are both dealing with transactions of value, really. Goodness is value is wealth, wealth is value is goodness. 

        Or not.

Buried beneath the dirt was more than a human body recently deceased, but a hidden treasurer of secrets. Words that never could, will no longer be formed or rehearsed. It was too late. Actions left undone will never be practiced. Once death comes, our lives are returned, for they were only temporary. Our breaths will freeze as our bodies grow rigid and stiff with the stop of the clock which death struck. Nothing is forever. Never get your hopes up for your heart will be shattered and torn. When we die, all that will be left behind are the memories we created, whether they bring life or death to our sulking eyes of another life that whispered on by, without a proper ending.

Morning, Prosers, 

It's time for our regular instalment, Two for Tuesday. 

This week, after having a number of users asking this very question, we thought we'd share with you two tips for increasing your exposure and readership, both inside and outside Prose. 

Buckle up, take notes and prepare to be bowled over with the simplicity of these two pointers. 

1) Share. 

Sounds simple right? Yet many people overlook this exact thing. If you're already using mainstream social networks, leveraging your audience there will help you get more reads on Prose. We as a team do this with our own work. Not only does it increase reads, it also increases the likelihood that those visitors will keep popping back and reading your work without further prompts. Share to any platform you can. Text your friends the link. Email your contacts. If you get into a healthy share routine, these things won't take you long at all. Sharing the same piece multiple times in timed increments also helps. For instance, the "shelf life of a Tweet is up to 24 minutes," so even if you have hundreds of thousands of followers, if they don't see it in those crucial minutes, they probably never will. 

2) Interact / Engage

This might sound dumb, but it really is key. You get what you give. Especially on a platform like Prose. Prose is single-handedly the best platform for engagement and interaction. But to build up that trusty base of readers you have to give a little first. Read, comment, like, share. Show that support to your peers and they will support you. Plus, who doesn't want to read the awesome wordporn found upon our pages? 

While these two tips sound very self-explanatory, they are often overlooked. Give them a try, slot them into your routine, we promise it'll do the trick. 

Before we go we'd like to ask two things of you. 

Firstly, if you don't already, please follow us and encourage those around you to follow us. We promise we are not being attention whores! This is the easiest way for us to reach all of you with big announcements and such, and may help those of you who have questions or requests. If you're already following Prose, thank you, you could help us by reposting our posts so that we catch those that do not follow us. 

Secondly, and lastly, we know that there has been some confusion over coins. Coins are our in-house currency, paid for on the Bookstore with either PayPal or credit/debit card. Prose does not hold any of your payment details, these are completely secure with PayPal only. These funds can only be purchased on the website, but will be spendable on iOS in our next update (this is imminent). One coin is equal to one cent. Once you have your coins, you can buy premium content (books and shorts) from the Bookstore. These coins are shared between the author and Prose, and the author always comes out on top. Not only are you supporting your fellow Prosers' hopes and aspirations of being able to write full-time, but you are also enabling our small and humble team of 5 to work above and beyond full-time hours to continue writing the next chapters for the history of Prose and the freedom of its writers. We hope we can count on your support. 

Thank you to every single one of you for being here, and for making Prose the absolute shit. 

Until next time, Prosers, 

Prose. 

Good morning, Prosers,

For this week’s Monday Motivation we are bringing you a brand-new challenge.

This will be a monthly challenge, aptly named, Prose Challenge of the Month.

Each month, we will set you all a prompt within a Portal of our choosing. We then give you the entire duration of the challenge to create your literary splendor. After the challenge expires, the team will then take a look at specific data - number of reads, likes, reposts, and comments - along with reading the entries to ensure superior content. From there, we will choose 15 pieces to be included in our new Prose Book of the Month. These books will be made up of your content, and will be sold on Prose for 250 coins. To find out whether your entry made it, you will have to grab yourself a copy.

So, what do you get in return?

If you are one of the lucky 15, you will receive 5% royalties for the lifetime of the book. This means non-Partners can also earn themselves some Prose coin, as anyone can enter. We think this is a new, quick, easy, and exciting way to become a published, professional author, and what better way to do that than with Prose‽

Let’s take a look at the first Challenge of the Month of many:

Prose Challenge of the Month #1: Write about losing your innocence. Fifteen entries will be featured in a Prose Original Book of the Month, whereby each winner will take 5% lifetime royalties. You must purchase the book to discover its authors, who will be determined by objective data (reads, likes, reposts, comments) and by team vote to ensure reader satisfaction. When sharing to social media, please use the hashtags “itslit,” “getlit,” and “ProseChallenge.”

Share your lost innocence with us, now.

What better Monday Motivation than a brand-new challenge and a way to earn money and bragging rights when you become a professional author?

Until next time, Prosers,

Prose.

I could feel him inside me. Hard. Warm.

Though he only pressed against me, it was enough

As his mirror played with tongue

And the air was sucked from gum

I craved to have something more between my lips

Let's get busy;

Lay back! Relax!

Allow me to frisk you...

Open wider;

Permit me to irrigate.

Let's get to the root of the problem,

Yes baibe!

Sing my anthem!

You know the drill,

It's a dental affair!

Pressing my truths,

impressing your pages,

the cruel truth hides

in my marrow

pillowed in crimson.

My distorted words

trick the multitudes

as lies become truths

and truths become lies

falling heavily upon

shifting haze of clouds,

eclipsing my vision.

I deny the truth

but can’t avoid it

a sweet spray of verity

across alabaster limbs.

I hesitate at gate

of festering lies

but can’t pass

to the other side.

Truth soars

above Xeroxed deceit -

pure essence

of infallibility

without subterfuge.

Truth clothes nakedness

with integrity,

opening a slice

of sweet orange sky

for all to glimpse.

Discarding the peel,

savoring juice

of my soul,

I rip off

disguise of lies

for truth never dies.