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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. 3]&le[.
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more =[TXH^.0
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in W6u(+P]("
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? @cG+ D
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your UnZc9 6
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it }Os7 [4 RW
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. 3CSw cD
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would YEB7X>p#
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to A' n7u'6=
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow b>}
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means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- !<h-2YF<M
terms with your passing away. }
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But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave 4~d:@Gmk&
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their +.u
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cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine 2UBAk')O}
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. ki ?V
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Robert Rowland Smith Gy '/)}}Z
