[EARTHRISE – 1968 – Apollo 8 /William Anders]
DEATH
The living System inhabiting Earth does not die – it is as close to immortal as is possible to imagine, having lived for over three billion years. However, Life’s mandate to create more life could not function if there was not some attribute that made space for it to create. Death removes iterations of living things after they have been field-tested and had the opportunity to replicate. Without death, the Living System would become clogged with immortal iterations – its evolutionary potential brought to a standstill. Death is as intrinsic as reproduction and mutation in enabling a framework for the expression of Life’s creative drive to create more life. Paradoxically, Death is a foundational attribute of Life’s Creation Archetype. When viewed from this perspective, for this writer it seems easier for him to embrace his mortality more comfortably as he continues to better understand his expression as an attribute of Earth’s Living System.
Life has this paradoxical relationship with death, both having death built into the parameters of the living system and evolving complex protective strategies to avoid being killed. The section of papers on Protection explores the layers of complexity of our tactics and strategies for preventing dying. Death is required to open up space for testing new permutations. Protection, the avoidance of death, is a primary driver of, as well as a modality for, testing advances in complexity.
CHEATING DEATH / EXTENDING LIFESPAN
Even though Death is as intrinsic to the character of Living Things as being born, this reality does not negate efforts to defer the inevitable as long as possible. Proper nutrition, minimizing exposure to toxins and a kind heart are all known to prolong life. On this website, another tactic is discussed, which is the requirement of our bodies for optimal structural information to regenerate optimally.
There is an overview of the concepts relating to innate optimal structural dynamics here:
LOCOMOTIVE CORE
There is more explicit information on the character of these optimizations here:
BIOTENSEGRITY
And there is specific information on the mechanisms involved at the cellular level here:
STRUCTURAL REGENERATION
Embodying the practices discussed in these sections will not increase innate lifespan, but will decrease the possibility of premature death due to structural degeneration.
SUSTAINABILITY AND ALL LIVING THINGS