The mystery is this: all parts of the cell are dead, so what makes the whole come alive?

that's the point. a living cell is made up of non living molecules; amino acids, lipids, carbohydrate and nucleic acids- these are molecules that are not living and are being made up of natural elements ( C, H, N, O, P, S ), but they form the structural and metabolic component of a living cell. Another funny part is that these living systems maintain or regulate themselves by influx and eflux of electrolytes (homeostasis).
if life could have been founded on non living elements, then what could have given it the gut to go against the 2nd law of thermodynamics?
science is working hard to close the gap between the living and the the dead trying to create an artificial life from non living primordial molecules, although it seems to be a realistic goal but until then Life remains a mystery.
nice post, you did a good job