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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. /LM4- S
First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more tL+OCLF;
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in `+/H^
genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? \Fe_rh
Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your u?[ q=0.J7
hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it Zv_jy@k
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. o1/lZm{\~n
Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would 8p!*?RRme[
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to )kJH5/
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow \M"UmSB o
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- i0s6aAhgJ
terms with your passing away. :EtMH(
But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave 3<?XTv-
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their +]@Az.E
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine j2P n<0U
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. D5an\gE
Robert Rowland Smith Ji;mHFZ*FU
