Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. <ZC^H  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more cW\Y?x   
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in O8~U<'=*  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? AYu'ptDNr  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your ::Q);  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it uNZ>oP>  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. ?WtG|w  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would Y1aF._Z  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to B "F`OS[  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow 5@t uo`k  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- Z6([/n  
terms with your passing away. JKi@Kw  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave ~K$"PKs3  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their 9iddanQA  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine SO Q-D4q  
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. vJAAAS  
Robert Rowland Smith `e'o~oSu