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I am there when you're born
yet I begin to fade away from day one.
I will stay until death
even if you choose to erase me.
Maybe even more, if you pass me to your children
My worst enemy? it once killed, but not a human being

who am I?

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4 Answers 4

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I believe the answer is

Ignorance

It matches the title:

"I don't know" is an admission of ignorance.

"I'm there when you're born."

You are born knowing nothing.

"Yet I begin to fade away from day one."

You constantly learn more throughout your life.

"I will stay until death even if you choose to erase me."

No matter how much you learn in your life, there is always much more you don't know.

"Maybe even more, if you pass me to your children."

I'm having the hardest time with this clue. I think it means that if you don't value education and learning in your family, your kids are unlikely to do so themselves.

"My worst enemy? it once killed, but not a human being."

Curiosity, which prevents someone from being comfortable with ignorance, killed the cat.

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  • $\begingroup$ Very nice :D About the children... We teach our beliefs to them. $\endgroup$
    – Noldor130884
    Feb 18, 2015 at 6:22
  • $\begingroup$ @Noldor130884 How does that propagate ignorance? $\endgroup$
    – The Dragonista
    Feb 19, 2015 at 16:49
  • $\begingroup$ @TheDragonista if you are racist, you will teach that to your children, if you believe in chemtrails you will make your children believe that too, if you are in general polarized about things, your children will take that as the absolute truth $\endgroup$
    – Noldor130884
    Mar 9, 2015 at 10:38
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Possibly a stretch but:

Life

I am there when you're born

When your life begins

yet I begin to fade away from day one.

As soon as you're born, you start to die

I will stay until death

When you die, your life leaves you

even if you choose to erase me.

You can choose to take your own life, but it still leaves you

Maybe even more, if you pass me to your children

You can create new life by reproducing

My worst enemy? it once killed, but not a human being

An Extinction Level Event -- something that destroys life on a massive scale, such as the one that wiped out the dinosaurs (which killed, but not humans).

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  • $\begingroup$ The last sentence wasn't quite guessed, but it is still a very nice answer! $\endgroup$
    – Noldor130884
    Feb 18, 2015 at 6:23
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Is it

memory

I begin to fade away from day one.

Memories are doomed to fade from the beginning

Maybe even more, if you pass me to your children

You can pass on memories in order to prolong them

I'm not sure about the last line but I'm sure it is applicable

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  • $\begingroup$ It is actually a clever answer but... Does memory kills (NOT human beings)? :) $\endgroup$
    – Noldor130884
    Feb 17, 2015 at 15:02
  • $\begingroup$ This answer is beautiful. I felt something from it :D $\endgroup$
    – Nai
    Jun 3, 2015 at 10:05
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I think it is

Youth

I am there when you're born

When you are born you are young

Yet I begin to fade away from day one.

You start becoming older day by day and hence youth starts fading

I will stay until death, even if you choose to erase me.

You will always be younger to someone or the other till you die

Maybe even more, if you pass me to your children

One has children, who are young when they are born

The reasoning for the last line isn't hitting me! :/

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  • $\begingroup$ :D not really, but thanks for trying :) $\endgroup$
    – Noldor130884
    Feb 18, 2015 at 6:24

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