& what if it's the way we're meant to die?

Completely thinking off the rails here, but imagine it was.

You don't have memories of being a baby; You fade into consciousness over time. When you have Alzheimer's, you lose many of your memories and fade back into a childlike state, if you physically live long enough.

You spend the first few+ years of your life and last few years of your life feeling \~blissfully\~ unaware of how hard the world can be.

My grandfather lived in a full-time care facility for 7 years. Physically, very healthy all of his life. Towards the end of those 7 years he was giggly/laughing/mostly non-verbal. This is just our family's experience - not all.

Those kids that tell complex war stories, claiming them as memories - maybe it's conscious overlap.