Mirror, mirror on the wall

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, we have been told for years. But there are times when one can say, in all honesty, "I don't really want to know that much about ...." -- any number of things.

We don't need to know, for instance, the gory details about a horrible , violent criminal act, unless, of course, we are on a trial jury or perhaps conducting serious research.

An amateur photographer with a new digital camera doesn't really need to know all about the pixels and megabytes that an instructor tries to explain to a class of glassy-eyed senior citizens

The same goes for most of us using computers. We simply need to know how to use them, not what actually makes them work.

It might be wise to understand a bit more about our cars than many of us do, but probably most of us rely on trust that ours will get us where we need to go.

It's not that curiosity and a deeper understanding of our world and how it functions, aren't noble goals. But sometimes, we are subject to overkill.

We know, or at least believe, that medicines prescribed for us will help alleviate or eliminate our physical pain or distress. By the time we finish reading the insert in our package of pills, we may feel worse than ever, anticipating the endless number of side effects which might occur.

Do we really need to know all that much• Apparently we do or else the pharmacist wouldn't go to all the trouble of inserting his own printout of information each time we pick up a prescription.

There are other types of overload we experience besides verbal explanations. We are over-mirrored, it seems, presumably to enhance our feelings of spacious surroundings. A recent tour of a magnificently-decorated home convinced me more than ever that it's not necessary to see oneself in all directions, particularly in bathrooms. Just how important is it to be reminded, by multiple images,of what the years have done to our formerly firm, wonderful bodies?

Mirrored restaurants are not much better. We really don't need to watch ourselves chewing and swallowing at the slightest turn.

It can be confusing as well to walk into a mirrored entranceway and think that you see someone who has the very same coat as the one you are wearing, only to discover that of course it is you. But, didn't your hair used to be a darker color• Why do you need to be reminded of that as you embark on a lovely dinner date• Actually maybe it is your mother you are looking at. But no, of course it can't be.

We know in our hearts and in our heads that we change physically as we get older. But do we really have to be reminded so much•

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, I'd rather decorate with candles or old photographs. I'm sure one of my friends will tell me if my slip is showing or I have spinach caught in my teeth.

Let's preserve some of the imagination and mystique that make us feel so good.

Herald community columnist Priscilla Ebert is a resident of Fox Chapel.