Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. cf,6";8  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more U*Y]cohh  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in vw3[(_MV3_  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? YU[#4f~  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your YQHpW>z  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it JZxA:dg l  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. ^Ld5<  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would ?uL-qsU  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to _^(1Qb[  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow +3-5\t`  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- 3ddw'b'aQ  
terms with your passing away. y6d!?M(0U  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave FA{Q6fi:2  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their =0EKrG  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine 2[pOGc$  
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. [[<TW }   
Robert Rowland Smith VPT?z