Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. 4a'O#;ho  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more $E=t 6WvA  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in aJh=4j~.  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? x0t&hY>P!  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your [s1Hd~$  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it >y P`8Oq[  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. +a'QHtg  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would PT2b^PP  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to Y# <38+Gd  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow &!)F0PN:u  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- a2:Tu  
terms with your passing away. mX@Un9k  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave 9a.r(W[9  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their  $^&SEz  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine In
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you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. 'Na \9b(  
Robert Rowland Smith *7L*:g