Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
05. The Triple Transformation: Psychic – Spiritual – Supramental
Fragment ID: 2742
There1 is no ambiguity that I can see. “En fait” and “attachée” do not convey any sense of inevitability. “En fait” means simply that in fact, actually, as things are at present all life (on earth) has death attached to it as its end; but it does not in the least convey the idea that it can never be otherwise or that this is the unalterable law of all existence. It is at present a fact for certain reasons which are stated,– due to certain mental and physical circumstances – if these are changed, death is not inevitable any longer. Obviously the alteration can only come “if” certain 
conditions are satisfied – all progress and change by evolution depends upon an “if” which gets satisfied. If the animal mind had not been pushed to develop speech and reason, mental man would never have come into existence,– but the “if” – a stupendous and formidable one, was satisfied. So with the ifs that condition a farther progress.
1 These observations are apropos of the Mother’s statement: “En fait, la mort a été attachée à toute vie sur terre.” See La Mère, Entretiens (1967 Edition), p. 49.