Cowboy Culture:
Every culture needs legends and heroes; the Cowboy is one of America's best. We see honor, leadership, integrity, hard work, strength and freedom in the cowboy. We envy the simplicity of his long day's labor and the wide-open spaces he roams. Little boys want to grow up to be him, and many little girls want to grow up and marry him. He contains the last vestiges of wildness allowed in the new millennium, and as much as our country changes, he remains the same. America needs the Cowboy both to remind us of how far we have come and to bring us back to the simplicity of the values he represents. America needs the Cowboy because he is a piece of who we are as a country. He represents a lifestyle and a time period that is a cherished part of our history. How much more important is a walking, talking, breathing artifact, which is what the contemporary Cowboy has become? In a world where dependence is spreading like a disease, the American Cowboy is a symbol of independence, something that America was founded upon.
Cowboy Romance:
We romanticize that the Cowboy of the old west was a free wandering soul of the 'Great Western Plains.' When in fact, it was hard. It was a hard life for the Cowboy. Alas the Cowboy always managed to pull through, even against insurmountable odds. The glamor that Hollywood has placed on the Cowboy has even carried over in to modern times. It's a fact: Most people have never thrown, branded, or roped a cow. Still there's the admiration and romance of the Cowboy. In todays cement crawl he's (the Cowboy) needed more than ever, because we all need the escape. Knowing that out there somewhere the pavement ends and the West begins. Where you, your horse and a partner that you'd ride the rivers with, to the end, still exists. Whether it's the matter of fact handshake, or just knowing that if he says he's going to do something. That it will be done. It's about free will, stubbornness, persistence, romance, accomplishment, pride, beating the odds, bucking the horse if you will.
Cowboy Patriotism:
As our children pack up to head out to War, it makes us wonder how many Cowboys are there? We still need guys with a lot of courage and loyalty to stick with their herds while moving them through a rugged environment. They certainly fired our imagination! Their independence and no bull sensible solutions are the same traits that helps American succeed in any situation. The Cowboy has become ingrained in our American DNA - we wouldn't be Americans with out them. Think about it. Who sings all the patriotic songs out there? The Cowboy. You will never hear Rappers such as Eminem or 50cents, who sing against this country, sing a patriotic song. With Country music you know there is still pride in this country and that we are still strong.
To mention only a few:
Country Pride songs:
- Alabama - American Pride CD
- God Bless America
- America the Beautiful
- Born in the USA
- Hero
- America
- I will Remember You
- Battle Hymn of the Republic
- You're a Grand Old Flag
- Star Spangled Banner
- America The Beautiful
- This Land Is Your Land
- Yankee Doodle
- God Bless The USA
- America (My Country `Tis Of Thee)
- This Land Is Your Land
- In America - Charlie Daniels Band
- Living In The Promise land - Willie Nelson
- Eagle, The - Waylon Jennings
- Ragged Old Flag - Johnny Cash
- America, The Beautiful (1976) - Charlie Rich
- All American Dream, The - Moe Bandy
- Amber Wave Of Grain - Merle Haggard
- All American Man - Johnny Paycheck
- America Is - B.J. Thomas
- Song Of The Patriot - Johnny Cash/Mart Robbins
The Cowboy stood for morals and still does today:
Lets look at what the older Cowboys thought of / stood for:
The Lone Ranger Creed:
"I believe that to have a friend, a man must be one.
That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world.
That God put the firewood there but that every man must gather and light it himself.
In being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right.
That a man should make the most of what equipment he has.
That 'This government, of the people, by the people and for the people' shall live always.
That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number.
That sooner or later... somewhere...somehow... we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken.
That all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever.
In my Creator, my country, my fellow man." --The Lone Ranger-
Roy Rogers Riders Club Rules:
Be neat and clean.
Be courteous and polite.
Always obey your parents.
Protect the weak and help them.
Be brave but never take chances.
Study hard and learn all you can.
Be kind to animals and take care of them.
Eat all your food and never waste any.
Love God and go to Sunday school regularly.
Always respect our flag and our country.
The Code of the Old West
- Respect yourself & others
- Accept responsibility for you life
- Be positive & cheerful
- Be a person of your word
- Go the distance
- Be fair in all your dealing
- Be a good friend & neighbor
"Ten Commandments of a Cowboy"
A Cowboy never takes unfair advantage.
A Cowboy never betrays a trust.
A Cowboy always tells the truth.
A Cowboy is kind to small children, to old folks, and to animals.
A Cowboy is free from racial and religious prejudice.
A Cowboy is helpful, and when anyone's in trouble he lends a hand.
A Cowboy is a good worker.
A Cowboy is clean about his person and in thought, word, and deed.
A Cowboy respects womanhood, his parents, and the laws of his country.
A Cowboy is a patriot.-- Gene Autry-
A Cowboy point of view:
- You knew who the bad guy was and never let him win.
- You fought tough if you had to, but learned to be civil and courteous.
- You enjoyed facing a challenge like learning to rope or quick draw.
- You took care of animals and fed them before you ate a meal yourself.
- You played rough and tumble and learned how to handle a bloody nose or bruised knee without sniveling.
- You respected the outdoors as you were out in it most of the time.
- You learned cowards never stand up to a person of courage.
- You found out a good deed can be done anonymously.
- You valued straight-talk and simple wisdom.
- You stood tall in the saddle on issues of importance.
- You stood firm against oppression and evil.
- You gave of yourself to family, friends, and country.
American Way:
The American way is the Cowboy way. When the word 'Cowboy' is mentioned, many folks think of the days of yesteryear when names like Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickock were household names. This may be true, but during that dawning age of America, most of the Cowboy values like respect, belief in God, and a certain purity that's not often seen nowadays were a prevalent part of everyday life. This is not to say that these things don't exist today, however, they're not always seen as so much of a priority today. So why Cowboy? The answer is simple; the Cowboy way is not just about horses and riding the range. It's morals, duty to God, country, family, and being true to ones self. The Cowboy is the patriot grounding threading and moral fabric that keeps our flag waving free. America has seen the Cowboy consistently take the hard right over the easy wrong in order to get the job done and bring everyone home. We've seen the Cowboy wounded, and courageous enough to stay in the fight to help a buddy so he can make it home as well. 'Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay his life down for a friend'. It's been one of my life's great privileges to see men ready to do this, and the Cowboy has always walked with heroes. This is engrained in them, and not something that can be easily taught, if at all. These values are alive and well in every day life today, both on ranches and ranges across the country, and abroad through our military forces.
So does America still need the Cowboy?
I hope that everyone will yell in a loud voice
"YES!"
We need him now more than ever.
God Bless America!
God Bless the Cowboy!
God Bless The Thomas Ranch!
