Where is yor statue?

I’ve always found it impressive for someone to have a statue made of him or her. The really overwhelming ones are those carved out of a mountain, but most are made of stone or metal and placed on a pedestal to display the likeness and history of someone who should be remembered.

I’m so obsessed by this idea of capturing a moment in time that I am also fascinated by taxidermy. I don’t understand why someone goes out and kills an innocent animal only to decapitate it and mount the remains on a wall as a trophy. Since it does seem to be a popular symbol or ‘statue’ (pardon) I’ve often wondered why we don’t do our family this way? Instead of putting your loved ones in a box and stored in the ground, why not have them stuffed? Wouldn’t it be great to have pop in the corner reading the newspaper with pipe in hand and a permanent smile on his face? You could ask all the questions you always wanted to and get the same response. What about having mom sitting in the kitchen? She could silently criticize your cooking without a word being spoken.

In today’s 3-D printing society, anyone could take a photo and make a statue of the image. Perhaps an ornamental head bust to sit on the mantle or an audacious mounted equestrian figure in some fabricated uniform proclaiming power and importance for eons to come.

Imagine how future generations will view a statue and wonder about the person’s life and accomplishments were such to be revered. Even when the history becomes clouded, the statue will still be there.

What is my point? I’m glad you asked.

Recently there have been news reports of people of somewhat relevance and perhaps influence embellishing on certain events in their lives. Political correctness and ethical reality do not always walk hand-in-hand. The truth as we all know is about interpretation.

I’ve often walked into a room of strangers or even colleagues and accessed the importance of truth. You cannot impress a pretty girl at the bar with the truth. A funny stranger may turn into a fortune 500 player so don’t disappoint them.

Sitting down in a plane for a long ride the person next to you starts up a conversation. What do you do? he ask. Do you tell him the truth or not?

You can be the CEO of some unknown mega corporation or the inventor of patent designed to allow people unlimited happiness or an infamous writer of specialized books that only a few scholars read. The list goes on and on.

This stranger doesn’t know whom you are or what you really do, so make it up. Believe me, I’ve done this and it works and it makes the journey much more of an adventure.

With all that said, why are we making such a fuss about a reporter who was in or around or near by an exciting news story and embellished his or her encounter. So they were in a hotel room watching some movie when all the action was going on, they got a good story at deadline. So they were close by but maybe not that close by, what’s the harm in that? What if they fudged a few details? Don’t we elect the people who make our laws who do that?

The little white lies we tell our wives or the truth that is stretched on our employment application can’t be but so bad. Everyone does it, right?

It is only a crime if you get caught. 

Now I got to go work on my statue.