Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. j#n ]q{s4  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more 3!{imQT  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in 5]N0p,f  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? lD
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  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your 9kH~=`:?  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it )}`z<)3jP  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. V|97;  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would BB/wL_=:  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to #dWz,e3   
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow fd&Fn=!  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- I?3b}#&V9  
terms with your passing away. P_1WJ  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave T,pr&1]Lw  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their 7Ed0BJTa  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine FfJp::|ddr  
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. THp_ dTD  
Robert Rowland Smith qjP~F