Is the past the past?

From time to time the occasional blast of info comes my way, and I hear things I do not like. What am I supposed to do, for example, when I hear that someone has lied to someone else about something pretty important? What if I hold in my dear little chapped hands, a piece of valuable information that might make that victim think differently about the way they see that liar. What if what I have to say could change things? Do I jump in and say what's on my mind? Do I speak the truth? Is that helping or hurting? Is it really my business?

It is difficult to hear about people making decisions in their lives based on these lies. My solution for this: all relationships should be based on honesty. This is something I am struggling with right now. For things I have held on to and kept hidden in the past, do I uncover them now? Should I open up my treasure chest and remove the kicks and the punches? Should I bring a box of band aids and gauze just in case the pain is so terrible that my victims might need them? Or can we say the past is the past, and just let it be.

How important is it to be honest about your past, when it doesn't pertain to your character any longer? Or, when does something in your past get to a point where it no longer pertains to your character? Most people believe that every single experience shapes us into the person that we are. So in that case, isn't it always important to tell the truth about your past? Does this mean that we can't be open to the possibility that people can change? Does this mean that everything you have ever done will always be on your record, and that slate can never be wiped clean?

Oh god, I hope not.