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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. FJ0Ity4u6
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more {y)O ?9q
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in
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genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? %@tKcQ
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your <knf^D<"
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it $/;D8P5/&=
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. {hQ0=rv<
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would S :)Aj6>6
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to Y~\71QE>
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow K"u-nroHW
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- .4on7<-a
terms with your passing away. x|4m*>Ke
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave -^sW{s0Rc
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their m(CW3:|
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine ^mxOQc !
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. r
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Robert Rowland Smith p F kA,
