Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. 0JKbp*H  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more nRb#M  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in f+-w~cN  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? +SZ#s:#SE  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your ([`-*Hy  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it S'B7C>i`#N  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. UIIunA9  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would w'?u
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make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to
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take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow V?0|#=_mE  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- Z
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terms with your passing away. \Vr(P>  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave e8--qV#<  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their J:5%ff~r\  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine >c;qIP)Z  
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. }NiJDs  
Robert Rowland Smith oIQor %z