What is that one main characteristic that distinguishes life from nonlife? What is the main difference between life and nonlife? The answer has to be consciousness. All of life has some form and level of consciousness, and all of nonlife has no consciousness whatsoever.
Only at such a time as when consciousness separates itself from nonconsciousness can reality be established. Consciousness establishes reality by reflecting upon itself as separated from nonconsciousness, and upon nonconsciousness as composed of separated things. Consciousness effects this separation by its use of the idea of nothing. First, consciousness recognizes that it is something in itself and not anything else. Second, consciousness recognizes each individual thing as not being anything else.
If everything were nonconscious, then all of the recognized separation caused by consciousness would be impossible. Such a nonconscious everything would be like Parmenides homogeneous soup. Parmenides thought that this homogeneous soup was the ultimate reality, and that consciousness of everything was but an illusion. Actually, the opposite is true. Consciousness establishes reality, and the homogeneous soup is not real. It cannot be real because it equals an absolute nothingness. The nothingness is absolute because it cannot be separated from the somethingness. Both something and nothing must be recognized by consciousness before reality can be established.
If ever our universe were a nonconscious one, then absolute nothingness would prevail and reality could not exist. But reality has always existed because there has to be an Infinite Consciousness who has established an Infinite Reality.
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