I read an article by Kitty Kelley entitled Unauthorized, But Not Untrue. She wrote about the unauthorized biography, of which she has written several, and how much trouble she gets into because she tries to write the truth. Her latest publication is Oprah: A Biography.

It leads me to question what is real, though. Are the ideals we hold real? Are they truth? How do we decide to believe one thing and not another? When do we say one person is right and another is wrong? When did our world become black and white?

I wonder if celebrities [term used loosely] realize the myths they create around themselves. Some of them must, or we wouldn’t have jobs for publicists other than to promote the person. Did a publicist or media consultant type person create the idea of spin? Perhaps it was around earlier than that, when one interesting person decided to take advantage of the way an event played out.

Who would we elect as President if we knew the little secrets? Myths are associated all the way back to George Washington, so we’ve been creating new images for our leaders since our country began. At some point we learn he probably didn’t cut down a cherry tree, that the legend cropped up around his legendary honesty. So what would a man like that say about the people we elect today? Are we even allowed to be honest with ourselves if we’re trying to gain a foothold in the public eye?

The next question is how does it affect the rest of us? When we have a leader who is known for honesty, are the common people more honest? When we don’t know what to think about the people who are making decisions for the rest of us or who we idolize just for being, will that change how we expect others to behave? I wonder if that’s when we let the little lies slide, because there are so many larger and more hurtful untruths out there lurking.

I’m not sure I know what’s really supposed to be the truth. If I can’t find it, how do I know it really exists? Maybe we can change the very fabric of existence by the different stories we tell each other and what we choose to believe. There might be another explanation entirely, but I’m a fiction author. It’s my job to tell a story that isn’t true.

There are a lot of questions today – anybody feel up for some answers? I’d love it if you’d weigh in.