You: If I denied the seed moisture and soil, by placing it in a box for instance, would you then say that it is dead?

Aaron: Not at all. If you were to take it out of the box and plant it, the seed would still grow and it is this potential for growth that makes it alive. When it no longer has that potential, then it is dead. You might argue that by promising never to take it out of the box you have effectively killed it, but that is nothing more than a silly game of semantics.

You: Perhaps I have chosen a bad example.

Aaron: I believe you have.