Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. U(A4v0T  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more S
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questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in ;qVG \wQq  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? LV=^jsQ5  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your _SF!T6A  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it >40 GP#Vz  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. ,^+#M{Z  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would Rkr^Z?/GH  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to a#R%8)  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow s*{mT6s+T  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- AFtCqq #[  
terms with your passing away. r03I*b  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave -y<x!61  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their M5rwoyn  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine '^lUL) R  
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. gN\*Y  
Robert Rowland Smith \6c8z/O7