Do you want to know your death date?

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According to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger,death has two defining characteristics. \
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First, it can't be outsourced - nobody can die your death for you. The second raises more  qH9bo-6  
questions. Heidegger says death can happen at any point, so it's randon. But with advances in 9
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genetics, knowing the date of our decease is becoming a real possibility. And is that good? ,ej89  
  Imagine going about your business with your expiry date stamped invisibly on the back of your >
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hand. You'd probably be spooked by this constant reminder of your mortality. You'd find it tSf$`4  
impossible to live. You'd pass your days in envy of those your age who are destined to live longer. S!@h\3d8{  
  Alternatively, you could treat the date-stamp as an end date from which to work back. It would %={[e`,  
make retirement planning and the gubbins of wills and probate smoother. It would allow you to PZ[hH(EX  
take an active part in organising your own funeral. You could even plan your diet: death tomorrow J4l\  
means an awful lot of jam today. And your loved ones would have the benefit of a steady coming-to- .gP}/dj  
terms with your passing away. "WfVZBWG$  
  But Heidegger's point is, even if geneticists, extrapolating from your current condition(s), gave 02RZ>m+  
you a reliable date of death, they'd fail to account for chance. Just as teenagers can crash their OciPd/6  
cars, so pensioners as dit as a fiddle can still fall down the stairs. So what's the lesson? Imagine 5 >c,#*  
you're programmed to die tomorrow, and live today as if it were your last. Q8GI;`Rb  
Robert Rowland Smith AS-%I+ A