S8]YS@@D
According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. zn\$6'"
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more +2 s][^-KV
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in 2-"`%rE
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? .8CfCRq
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your p!K]c D
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it >LEp EMJ\
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. |q_Hiap#a
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would N$8"X-na ?
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to l W
Lj==
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow $[(FCS
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- GIU yW
terms with your passing away. @Z9>E+udQ
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave tZD^<Q7}\
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their u$x'P <b
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine SR9M:%dga
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. KVpQ,x&q~
Robert Rowland Smith `{J(S'a`
