Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. =5Auk5&  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more |F^h>^ x  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in ZpQ8KY$5  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? AIa#t#8${  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your >^hy@m  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it LS4|$X4H`!  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. :#zv,U&OC  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would -z$&lP]  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to I &I q  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow 0I@Cx{$  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- (qXl=e8  
terms with your passing away. 8NzXe 7  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave `SSUQ#@  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their 8|iMD1  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine `h|>;u   
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. 0vm}[a4+i;  
Robert Rowland Smith P_3U4J