Life: quick; energized matter ; the lingering state of the verb to quicken. As quicken energy is slowly used up by life (in the way a candle is devoured by its wick), the life within matter fades, or dies. The process of expressing this energy is called living. The process of losing this energy is called dying. Various stages of quickened energy in the same environment are called a living community. The life of such a community is found in the process of renewal, or quickened social connections, although the life within the community is found in quickened matter. Both are life. When renewal in a community is overtaken by consumption, it is said to be a dying community. Similarly, one can be lively, the life of a party or even a real live wire. Since the inception of the science of biology, life has been culturally defined as existing solely within organisms, although they are only a sub-class of life itself.

He’s really living his life, I tell you!

Generations of Lichen on a Glacial Erratic,Vaseaux Lake Nature Conservancy, Canada