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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. qQi\/~Y[:
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more
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questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in u }gavG l
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? a9z#l}IQ
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your Ca
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hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it /rnI"
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impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. P0jr>j@^-
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would #5Z `Q^
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to |7tD&9<
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow L] |mWyzT
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- 'Vo8|?.WhX
terms with your passing away. Q CF'/G
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave EP 4]#]5
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their CMaph
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine &J*M
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. 0n}13u=}
Robert Rowland Smith ylKK!vRHT
