Do you think the "you" at highschool and college was "the real you"? Because that is definitely not the case for me. You grow older, you learn, you change views, you mature...
Yeah, this is interesting. I have had several different, non-intersecting, groups of friends throughout my life. I think they all know a different me. Some know what I would currently consider the "real me": basically a geek who is into Emacs and science fiction. But other groups variously know me as a hippy, a party goer, a womaniser, a gym-going "real man" type etc. I think sometimes they are disappointed that I'm not those things any more.
Eh, maybe the "real me" wasn't the right choice of words. I just know these guys in a way that when I see them I inevitably fall into fits of laughter in about 5 minutes. I know they aren't going to ask me a bunch of bullshit about my job or how my life is going. They're not going to try to out-compete each other on hot takes about the political topic of the day. They're not going to try to impress me, or expect me to impress them. More likely they take the piss out of me. I can just relax.
