./Y5Vk#Rp\
According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. I(bx CiRV
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more !
4?QR
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in O/N
Ed)H!
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? j\/Rjn+:[
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your jDyG~de
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it KtR*/<7IC
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. qm!&(8NfK
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would
i_[nW
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to w~}*MsB
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow eu^ B
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- [M;B
9-2$
terms with your passing away. ee OE\
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave 5s /fBS
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their @xq jAcfg
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine #9's^}i
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. B % L dH
Robert Rowland Smith ZcP/r
T3{^
