Discussion Question Blog Post 2

Discuss if knowing the future is helping or hurting Emma in the present.

The Future of Us

Knowing the future is harmful to Emma in the present because she is put in difficult positions knowing others' future and not telling them. In The Future of Us, by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, teenagers Josh and Emma discover their future Facebook pages. At first Emma and Josh are excited to learn how their lives will turn out; however, Emma is disappointed with the life she will have. Emma also discovers the futures of her friends, especially her best friend Kellen who becomes pregnant during high school. Emma is uncertain if she should tell Kellen, and how to explain to her if she does. "But how can I sit by and watch Kellen become a teen mom? She wants to go to Penn State, and dreams of becoming a doctor or a scientist. Can she do all that with a baby screaming in the background? She might not even be able to finish high school" (174). Emma is unsure how to handle this. She will blame herself for not stopping it if she lets it happen, but she will also feel guilty if she changes Kellen's future in such as drastic way. Emma is placed with the burden of knowing the future, but being unsure of how to change it. Emma is constantly worrying how certain actions will affect the future and is unable to enjoy the present.