Death is not a bug, it’s a feature
There is no shortage of clichés that death is a part of life and that life wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for death. Classical philosophers even used the concept of a memento mori, to actively prompt a contemplation of death so as to deepen their appreciation of life.
Today our culture seems to be in a conspiracy against death: We avoid talking about it, resort to ridiculous measures to delay it and most of us walk through life believing that death is a fate primarily reserved for others.
No one ever seems to talk about the fact that death is an evolutionary adaptation. Humans dying at their current life expectancy is exactly what nature “has deemed” most suitable for our species in its present environmental and circumstantial context.
The bowhead whale gets up to 200 years old not because it is great at going to its cancer pre-screenings. It gets this old because that is optimal for this particular species within its ecological niche at this juncture in time.
Nature operates on trade-offs. While a longer lifespan affords an organism the benefits of accumulated life experience, it also entails increased susceptibility to genetic damage. As a result, an aged individual may pose a burden to its community, diminishing its competitive edge.
Across millennia, we have inherited genes that include both advantages and risks. The culmination of these intricate genetic exchanges yields our current life expectancy.
So while death may remain unwanted for the individual, recognizing that it is not just a bug but a feature may help us be a little bit more at peace with it.
