Is a man mortal always?

What makes a man immortal is that he lives among us, though invisible.

Originally published on Quora — https://qr.ae/pFR38w

A simple question with a simple answer: man is mortal. If you define man only by his physical appearance, then yes, he is mortal. On Earth, all living creatures are mortal beings; during their lifetime, they survive from birth to death and then leave or become one with nature. As we know, if we consider all things on earth as a form of energy, then energy can neither be created nor destroyed — it only changes into another form. So, they are transformed into another form. Hence, in one way, nothing has completely disappeared from the world.

However, the lion that lived yesterday is no longer remembered, as it was a mortal being. Yet a similar form of lion can be found and identified, and many of its traits can be attributed to the new lion. We don’t really miss the earlier lion altogether. By nature, this continuity can be called a form of immortality — whether by God or by nature’s creation. If we want to see the traits of a lion, we can find them in the lion roaming the jungle now or in one captivated by man in zoological parks.

When it comes to pet animals like dogs, we cannot say the same thing. The one we petted had unique qualities shaped by its association with the person it lived with. We may not see the same traits in another dog of the same breed, though it may learn slowly. But we are not certain of seeing all the traits the earlier dog had. In this case, we can say the dog is dead and is a mortal being. We can only create memorials to remember that particular dog, and it matters only to the owner, not to others.

When it comes to humans, the case is different. Some truly become immortal — not by their physical presence, but by their immortal contribution to society. Though they may not be here to answer our questions, they leave invaluable contributions that are self-explanatory and enduring. We only need basic intelligence to understand and apply it in daily life. As an extension of their thoughts, we can add or enhance them for future generations. However, some contributions are so pure and perfect that we cannot even touch them; it is better to take them as they are. Such is the power of their legacy. Other mortal men, who leave nothing behind, disappear like any other creature on earth.

One thing is clear: in nature, the physical body is only a form for any living creature to survive and contribute. If one lion dies, another replaces it with the same features, and we don’t find much difference in the form. The same goes for humans, too. If a man is stripped of the special trait of immortal contribution, he is like any other human on earth. We may differentiate by colour, weight, height, or special features, but essentially, we are all the same — with two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth placed on the head, torso, and limbs. So where do we differ? Man differs largely by his contribution while living, and by the contribution that remains valid even after his physical death. That difference is monumental.

AI‑generated illustration by Copilot AI

Every philosophy, leadership, invention, discovery, creation of beauty in art, poetry, essays, stories, feats in various fields, music, monuments, ideologies, religion, and much more — they all remain even after his physical disappearance from the earth. Such immortal men are, in fact, more real than those physically present but absent in contribution. Among men, there are those as tall as a mountain peak and those as negligible as an amoeba, and all in between, making their presence felt according to the extent of their contribution.

Sometimes I feel that some men, by their immense contribution, not only immortalise themselves but also the objects they touched. For example, men have brought back dinosaurs that roamed the earth millions of years ago, almost alive today, through scientific discovery. With AI, we can see those creatures picture-perfect. So, if you want your loved ones or leaders to come alive again, AI could recreate them and make them walk the earth once more, showing that man has made them immortal.