Life and Death

Is Death the absence of Life or is it the opposite of Life?

If Death is the absence of Life, then isn't Life the absence of death? Because after all, we are alive for only a few years, while we are dead the rest of the time. Isn't it therefore logical to conclude that the state of being dead is the reality, and the state of being alive is just a temporary change of state?

If Death was the opposite of Life, then what is the difference between Life and Death?