All 'past' is with us right here and right now in the present. We forget that at our own peril. Explains a lot of our problems. We live in the United States of Amnesia.

Driving down the highway of life, having a glimpse in your rear view mirror at your past is ok...but don't stare because you may drive off into the ditch. You aren't going that way anyway.

I've found a lot of the reasons I am the way I am are from things in my past that have affected me. Finding those things and facing them makes it easier to change.

I heard this long ago and it has been imbued in my mind ever since. "Look Back but Don't Stare." I never ran but learned from what I was encountering. To this I learned a great lesson that if you fall down 5 times to get up 6. You grab the bull by the tail and face the situation. Case closed unless you have added in additives to invoke a positive conversation.

Nice enough challenge of character development

This rings true. My past informs my present. Took a while for me to understand it's importance to my identity. But everybody has a different past. I don't like to generalize.

Indeed.