I could write about this under Boundaries or I could write about boundaries here.
the as-if body loop system: the simulation, in the brain’s body maps, of a body state that is not actually taking place in the organism.
Damasio, Antonio. Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain (Function). Kindle Edition.
Describing Life in linguistic, grammatical terms: Life is in the subjunctive mood with an inchoative aspect. An as-if in a continuous state of becoming.
This may be why Life is so devilishly difficult to define. As soon as it is pinned down ("pinned and wriggling on the wall") it escapes and is somewhere else.
Scientific Laws though