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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. 7X> @r"9<
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more wnLpf
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in |Dq?<Ha
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? (R RRG;*n#
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your {`J!DFfur
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it r8czDc),b
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. r( wtuD23q
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would \RFA?PuY
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to pjSM7PhQ
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow |gINB3L
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- cP@H8|c=
terms with your passing away. #,})N*7
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave <+b~E,
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their ^r7KEeVD
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine PG|Zu3[
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. 55y{9.n*
Robert Rowland Smith 78?{;iNv
