All of us do grow and mature, but generally not as much as we think. This bias in memory explains why each of us feels that we have changed profoundly, but our friends, enemies, and loved ones are the same old friends, enemies, and loved ones they ever were. We run into Harry at the high-school reunion, and while Harry is busy describing how much he’s learned and grown since graduation, we’re nodding and saying to ourselves, “Same old Harry; a little fatter, a little balder.”
