I loved this topic and understood way more as in the last one (you told me I picked a difficult one).

Well, I had to laugh during reading it, because I tried to imagine how I would let - let's say - rot a toe away because of mutated cells and just go on living. .... Why not? Do we need a little toe to survive? LOL.

Also it makes me to have this feeling of "awe" when it comes to the wonders of nature and living systems. Trees for sure are fascinating "creatures". Since I read Lord of the Rings and saw Fanghorn I am having to the visual sensation also the audio memory of how really old trees may talk (or hum).

all forms of life start becoming old only after they have served their purpose and stopped growing.

This expression of yours also made me think and I resonate with it. Same with us, no? It reminds me on a translation I want to make from something I wrote some time ago - it's about a body thief who steals the body from a vampire (originally told by Anne Rice)