Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. `Tv[DIVW  
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more ~XOTs  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in V 6@o]*  
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? 9po3m]|zy  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your =w{Z@S(ukz  
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it `~By)?cT_>  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. ivN&HAxI@  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would ,^\2P$rT  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to t:'Mh9h7u  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow %-1O.Q|f  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- bcE._9@@  
terms with your passing away. 'F9jq  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave gcl5jB5)>  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their :gWu9Y|{  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine =Jyu4j *}  
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. w|K'M?N14  
Robert Rowland Smith H" 3fT0