Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. i:aW .QZ.  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more =W3 K 6w  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in T%)E!: }v  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? <$e|'}>A  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your :1UMA@HP  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it ecs 0iW-,  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. #}y8hzS$  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would FiiDmhu  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to :+Ukwno?/  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow L_Gw:"-+Q  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- 70 7( LG  
terms with your passing away. ;9OhK71}  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave 7C7.}U  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their WuU
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cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine ]w6Q?%'9  
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. =^u;uS[IW  
Robert Rowland Smith ??p%_{QY~b