Life isn't something that's easy to define because literally everything exhibits patterns of life to some degree (in fact, you could definitely argue that the c

Life isn't something that's easy to define because literally everything exhibits patterns of life to some degree (in fact, you could definitely argue that the concept of life is an arbitrary, fictional distinction made to make our lives easier). For example, we find that cities, states, and empires look "alive" at a macroscopic level, with cars and roads forming the circulatory system to deliver much needed nutrients to far corners of the respective territories; we often give anthropomorphic characteristics to planets (Mother Earth) and stars. When we search for life, we're probably looking for something very similar to us, something we can interact with and befriend.