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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. 9? |m ^
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more (9)uZ-BF,
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in i7
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genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? ioslarw1J
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your 618bbftx{
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it tbB.
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impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. h m(
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would [3] h(D
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to F3nP Qw{;
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow r3YfY \
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- RRtOBrIedI
terms with your passing away. ?' $} k
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave 1 y7$"N8Xo
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their CbMClnF
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine "-Uqv @
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. lC^?Jk[N
Robert Rowland Smith O_D;_v6Ii+
