Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. g[2[ zIB=  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more i+-Y"vRi  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in 1iY?t  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? 4>=Y@ z  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your |b Z 58{}  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it +DT tKj  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. MoC/xF&  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would Sr10ot&ox  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to eF8um$t9  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow :v-,-3AG  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- .R+n}>+K  
terms with your passing away. =Oh/4TbW[  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave d#,   
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their KG5B6Om5'  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine TAM`i3{D  
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. iaJN~m\ M  
Robert Rowland Smith h EFn>