Expired and Inspired
The old question about why is there a need for expiry dates on bottled water got me to thinking about related things. Of course, anything sold to be consumed by mouth has to have an expiry date, even though it may not appear to need it. In the case of bottled water, which is also sold by the case, the expiry date may be needed because the plastic bottle might eventually leach something into the water. I really am not sure about that, but do remember seeing something recently that stated microwaiving some plastics could deposit harmful things in the food.
What if humans had expiry dates? The actual date you were scheduled to expire would be printed on your forehead. Of course, we really cannot predict this, but if we could, would it change the way we live? Setting aside all the discriminatory things that might happen and political correctness, I wonder what behaviors might be different if everyone knew the dates of their deaths.
If a person were religious, would that person be more tempted to stray from the straight and narrow? “Well, I’ve got 35 more years to live, and have plenty of time to repent.”
A woman, who was already concerned about her reproductive clock ticking, would be even more concerned if she knew her actual expiry date had an even shorter fuse. A man would have the same concern about passing on his biological legacy if he knew his expiry date was shorter than average.
And what about those really healthy people? Would they be tempted to eat right, exercise and get plenty of sleep, knowing that it would really not make a bit of difference? When you stop to think about it, good health is really just the slowest rate at which we can die.
I imagine some people would choose to live wild lifestyles. “Eat, drink and be merry because next year, I am gone.” Others would choose to make a difference, because every second would count as the clock ticked down like the LED readout on a time bomb in an adventure movie. Would some people panic and run wildly through the streets as they faced the last roller coaster ride? Denial can be tough.
What would work best would be to have a changing date based on each person’s lifestyle. Eat right, exercise right and get plenty of sleep, and watch the date on your forehead cycle a few more years ahead.
Come to think of it, people pretty much remain the same. If people knew the dates of their deaths, they probably would react as they do now, but perhaps with more intensity. We already know that certain aspects of our lifestyles can lengthen our lives, but many of us do not choose to do anything about it. I wonder if knowing the date could be extended and seeing it happen would change much at all.
What if humans had expiry dates? The actual date you were scheduled to expire would be printed on your forehead. Of course, we really cannot predict this, but if we could, would it change the way we live? Setting aside all the discriminatory things that might happen and political correctness, I wonder what behaviors might be different if everyone knew the dates of their deaths.
If a person were religious, would that person be more tempted to stray from the straight and narrow? “Well, I’ve got 35 more years to live, and have plenty of time to repent.”
A woman, who was already concerned about her reproductive clock ticking, would be even more concerned if she knew her actual expiry date had an even shorter fuse. A man would have the same concern about passing on his biological legacy if he knew his expiry date was shorter than average.
And what about those really healthy people? Would they be tempted to eat right, exercise and get plenty of sleep, knowing that it would really not make a bit of difference? When you stop to think about it, good health is really just the slowest rate at which we can die.
I imagine some people would choose to live wild lifestyles. “Eat, drink and be merry because next year, I am gone.” Others would choose to make a difference, because every second would count as the clock ticked down like the LED readout on a time bomb in an adventure movie. Would some people panic and run wildly through the streets as they faced the last roller coaster ride? Denial can be tough.
What would work best would be to have a changing date based on each person’s lifestyle. Eat right, exercise right and get plenty of sleep, and watch the date on your forehead cycle a few more years ahead.
Come to think of it, people pretty much remain the same. If people knew the dates of their deaths, they probably would react as they do now, but perhaps with more intensity. We already know that certain aspects of our lifestyles can lengthen our lives, but many of us do not choose to do anything about it. I wonder if knowing the date could be extended and seeing it happen would change much at all.
posted by The Joker at 9:21 PM
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