Opening a Door to See the Future

A few days ago my friend/student Jenifer was telling me about a conversation she’d had with another friend/student of mine, Andres. He posed the question, “If you could open a door and see what your life would be like in the end, would you?” We talked a little about the question and she said that she wouldn’t because if she knew the outcome then she wouldn’t bother with the struggle/journey and that’s the point of life.

I always get a swell of pride and admiration when Jenifer says something so perceptive. She’s one of the few twenty year olds I know that thinks this deeply on a daily basis. Hell she’s one of the only people I know who thinks this way. Perhaps, part of my pride comes from the fact that I see her as more of a younger sister than I do as a student or friend.


I thought about my answer and decided that it would depend on the circumstances. Barring all scientific/sci-fi theories, if I could open the door and change certain parts of my life that I didn’t like then I’d open the door. However, if I could only look but not touch then I would leave the door shut. For me, I don’t see the point in knowing my future if I can’t change it. Perhaps, there would be some comfort in knowing, for sure, that “everything will be all right” but on some level I already know that, regardless of the outcome, I will be okay.



So, if you could open a door and see what your life would be like in the end, would you?