Defining Life

I wrote this after Papa passed away. His pacemaker feigned human life. =/

How does one go about defining life? There are no black and white lines in said subject. The outcome is never as simple as yes, or no. These lines are a muddled grey, marred by tears in some places and worn by time in others. Is one alive if blood is coursing through their veins? What if this was not the result of their biology, but of a machine? A machine meant to save lives that thereafter, feigns life. Would this person be considered living, or deceased? Retaining body heat and  pumping blood are vital aspects of our existence ,but can such processes really define life? If we were to define life by amending the person must be cognizant, we would then automatically be forced to rule out comas and other vegetative states; and unless we are counting on resurrections when coming out of a coma, would they not be considered living? Though without the aid of machines the person will pass on in both cases. Perhaps the distinction between life and death is one of life’s most universal holons. Is it possible to be alive and dead simultaneously? Part of you functioning while the rest of you slowly fades away? Before one begins contemplating the meaning of life, it is vital to outline the parameters, to construct your own definition for what it means to be living…