Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. VyZV(k  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more Dt}dp_  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in A!HK~yk~Q  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? -ut=8(6&  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your ;<6"JP>0  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it 2;(W-]V?  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. ) h"Fla  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would P.4E{.)(  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to ?iz<  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow W7e4pR?w  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- .j 'wQ+_  
terms with your passing away. jPwef##~7  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave h)B!LAr  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their EZAm)5:]A  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine |'w^
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you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. )mD\d|7f  
Robert Rowland Smith az(5o