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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. z t6GJ z1q
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more +xp) la.
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in uWkW T.>$
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? ) vn {?Ulj
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your 0l;TZf=H
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it 9!
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impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. /@ m]@
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would 3VaL%+T$,
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to ''tCtG"
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take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow /V0[Urc@
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- "\3C)Nz?
terms with your passing away. 8u6*;* o
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave 6o6I ]QL
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their MR }=tO
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine a[I
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you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. s+DOr$\
Robert Rowland Smith $i 1$nc8
