In pre-Internet days, you'd meet someone and get to peel back their history like so many layers of an onion. Nowadays, you can Google someone before you even meet and dig out their past like so many iterations of Troy. It's tempting to do a search on a new acquaintance before talking to them or emailing, but this destroys the process of discovery, which is part of the engagement that makes meeting someone and knowing them interesting.
Sometimes, you don't discover the most fascinating parts until you have known each other for years.
Sometimes you don't discover your friend's past life until they die.
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