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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. B~PF <8 h5
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more &*)tqQeQf
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in ax>c&%vo
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? ,$;CII
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Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your LK:|~UV?
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it zL h ~x
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. 4qm5`o\hb
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would QdW%5lM+
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to GF/p|I D
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow 5&9(d_#H
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- w@%W{aUC
terms with your passing away. {&h &:
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave J$WIF&*0@
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their ":-)mfgGU
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine Ugdm"
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. &aF_y_f\
Robert Rowland Smith #sqDZ]\B
