In Latin, it is here that the etymological origin of the word life is found. Specifically, it comes from the word vita, which in turn emanates from the Greek term bios. All of them mean precisely life.
The concept of life can be defined from different approaches. The most common notion is linked to biology, which holds that life is the ability to be born, grow, reproduce and die. In this sense, life is what distinguishes men, animals and plants, for example, from objects such as a stone or a table. Life is also the state of activity of organic beings and the internal force that allows the action of those who possess it. Another way of interpreting life is linked to the ability of the physical being to manage its internal resources to adapt to the changes that occur in its environment.
When we see a man walking or a dog running, there is no doubt that we are dealing with living beings. However, it is more complex to determine when life begins and when it ends. Religious questions are mixed with science to affirm (or deny) that life begins from the first moment of fertilization, which would be equivalent to affirming that abortion is infallibly a murder (it ends with a life). Other positions maintain that the fetus in its early stages cannot be considered a living being. Something similar happens with death (that is, the end of life). The irreversible cessation of brain activity (known as brain death) is equated to science as the end of life, even if the person continues to breathe. In this sense, we have to make it clear that a person’s life can end in many ways. However, when this happens voluntarily on his part, it is because he has chosen to commit suicide. Personal, professional or family problems are usually the most frequent causes that lead someone to make the decision to end their existence. However, we cannot forget that there is another term closely related to life and death. We refer to euthanasia. It can be defined as the action carried out by a person with the clear objective of avoiding the suffering of another individual who is in the last moments of his existence. In other words, what this person does is accelerate the death of that being that suffers painfully. You can do it with the consent of the patient or simply by personal decision. Euthanasia is one of the most controversial issues in recent decades around the world, establishing two opposing trends: those who defend it and those who completely reject it. In the first case, they advocate being synonymous with dignity with respect to human life, while those who oppose it consider that its implementation violates the inviolability of life. For religion, life is the union of body and soul. After death, the soul reaches Paradise and can, according to some beliefs, reincarnate in another body.
