Bottom-up To Humanity IV - Molecules

Given enough time, atoms and other more basic particles (1) subject to varying conditions and sheer randomness produced by accident structures even more stable than the atoms themselves. As before, this further level of stability means not only internal stability but also greater resistence to interference by other particles.
Form protons neutrons and electrons to atoms and then to molecules (and besides the obvious increase in size), what becomes apparent is an increase in stability.
I find it relevant to emphasize here that at this level (at least!) there is no suggestion of function, or purpose in these structures. They just behave (2).

(1) The appearance of more complex structures does not necessarily mean that all the simpler structures are aggregated in such a way. In fact, they aren't.
(2) My own atoms and molecules are like these. They have no purpose, they have no function. They just behave the way they do, and that's very fortunate indeed. Acting together, inexorably behaving as they do, they keep me alive, in a most extraordinary and unlikely balance. It is hard to imagine that something like this could have happened by pure accumulation of accidents. Or is it? :-)