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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. ?mY )m
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First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more +S M $#
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in P*/p x4;6
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? h 88iZK
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your u*[,W-R&
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it >H@
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impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. 1rC8] M.N
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would T4T_32`XR
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to Rs)tf|`/
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow =HP_IG_
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- 4UoUuKzt
terms with your passing away. hC}A%_S
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave Js qze'BGY
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their W<;i~
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cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine 2uw%0r3Vi6
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. EA75
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Robert Rowland Smith IDzP
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