What is the real lesson to be learned from the sudden appearance of Susan Boyle, the ordinary, unassuming woman whose singing talent in a contest in Britain has taken the entertainment world by storm? Dare we tell the truth?Perhaps quality is not as much a product as we think it is or should be. Perhaps it cannot be a manufactured, purchased, hyped, exaggerated, accentuated, disingenuous set of affectations simply heaped upon the public by clever marketing firms and public relations gurus. In fact, true talent may well be just that and that alone - true!

When you follow this story, notice, if you will, the look of sincerity and humility on Susan's face and contrast it with the surprise, excitement and, dare I say it, 'embarrassment' on the faces of those who would judge, interview, present her to the world. "Why does such a woman, someone so unlike us, they are asking themselves, have such a talent? Is God punishing us for being shallow and talentless in our own lives?"

Indeed, Susan's talent, bless her heart, is still not the real lesson here. Her talent is there, all around the world today in many forms, undiscovered and unrecognised. The problem is that the world around her, the world that so easily exploits and tries to remake that talent over in its own image, is so often so thin, so phoney, so much a product of money, power, competition and deceit that, more often than not, it lacks the truth that Susan's example so clearly represents.

I am,etc.,

ED MCCOY

mmhobo48@juno.com

Bokeelia

Florida