Too Much Information
It’s a common saying that whatever abounds doesn’t hurt, but it’s not so with information. In many cases, we could do so well without much information.
This maxim applies to every circumstance in our daily lives: work, relationships, talking to our boss, in a job interview, explaining a movie or a book, being questioned by your in-laws the first time you meet them, and so on. You name it.
An example of giving or receiving information in excess happened when I visited an old friend who had recently given birth to a healthy girl. As I had not seen her for a while, learning that she was married and pregnant took me by surprise.
“John will be happy to meet you,” she said on the phone. I deduced that John was her husband.
And so, in telling this story, I will be brief because I don’t want to give you too much information.
A gentleman opened the door before I knocked on it.
I was carrying a bouquet of roses.
“I’m her husband,” the gentleman coldly said.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, perhaps too effusively, contrasting with my parsimonious interlocutor. “You must be John. Congratulations on your newborn daughter!
“She is not my daughter,” the gentleman said, his words slicing the air.
Well, I will save you the awkwardness of the moment.
But the lesson persists: Sometimes, too much information is not necessary.
