Paul Colt's Blog, page 30
December 14, 2019
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was born with that preverbal silver spoon in his mouth. The guy had looks and talent to do most anything he set his mind to. Why not act? Why not indeed. He headed to Hollywood in 1927 and thanks to a family connection to Howard Hughes, he got a screen test, landing bit parts to start. No starving, aspiring actor gig for him. The pattern of Scott’s career emerged early when he got a minor part in Black Watch directed by – John Ford, along with another new comer, John Wayne. He followed that up with The Virginian, starring Gary Cooper. Scott worked with and for a veritable Who’s Who in film over the course of his career.
Another couple of his early films were directed by Cecil B. De Mille. De Mille urged him to pursue stage roles to hone his acting ability. He did. It bought him a contract at Paramount where he broke in with B Westerns. Paramount cast him as lead in Heritage of the Desert, a Zane Grey adaptation directed by another newbie, Henry Hathaway. Hathaway would later direct the classic original 3:10 to Yuma. Scott and Hathaway would make ten Zane Grey films, leading to top billing on the big screen A feature, Last of the Mohicans.
Scott played a variety of big screen roles for some of the biggest studio names in Hollywood including RKO Pictures, Universal Studios, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures and of course Paramount. His co-stars included Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Boone, Carole Lombard, Robert Young, Claude Aikens and John Wayne.
Scott made his Western spurs in Abilene Town, playing a fearless lawman facing a lawless town. Producers Nat Holt and Harry Joe Brown took note. A run of Western feature films followed. By the time the curtain came down on his career with the Sam Peckinpah directed, Ride the High Country in 1962, Scott’s resume included more than one hundred films, sixty of them Westerns.
Apart from his talent, Scott had a reputation for being easy to work with. Director Michael Curtiz once described Scott as a “gentleman” the only one he’d ever met in the business. Twice married, Scott and his second wife, actress Patricia Stillman adopted two children. Off screen, he was a close friend of Cary Grant. Randolph Scott passed away in 1987 at the age of 89.
Next Week: Jane Russell
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Ride easy,
Paul
Another couple of his early films were directed by Cecil B. De Mille. De Mille urged him to pursue stage roles to hone his acting ability. He did. It bought him a contract at Paramount where he broke in with B Westerns. Paramount cast him as lead in Heritage of the Desert, a Zane Grey adaptation directed by another newbie, Henry Hathaway. Hathaway would later direct the classic original 3:10 to Yuma. Scott and Hathaway would make ten Zane Grey films, leading to top billing on the big screen A feature, Last of the Mohicans.
Scott played a variety of big screen roles for some of the biggest studio names in Hollywood including RKO Pictures, Universal Studios, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures and of course Paramount. His co-stars included Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Boone, Carole Lombard, Robert Young, Claude Aikens and John Wayne.
Scott made his Western spurs in Abilene Town, playing a fearless lawman facing a lawless town. Producers Nat Holt and Harry Joe Brown took note. A run of Western feature films followed. By the time the curtain came down on his career with the Sam Peckinpah directed, Ride the High Country in 1962, Scott’s resume included more than one hundred films, sixty of them Westerns.
Apart from his talent, Scott had a reputation for being easy to work with. Director Michael Curtiz once described Scott as a “gentleman” the only one he’d ever met in the business. Twice married, Scott and his second wife, actress Patricia Stillman adopted two children. Off screen, he was a close friend of Cary Grant. Randolph Scott passed away in 1987 at the age of 89.
Next Week: Jane Russell
Return to Facebook to comment
Ride easy,
Paul
December 7, 2019
Western Stars of the Big Screen
Classic and not-so-classic western movies packed real star-power. Some of those stars built their careers on Westerns. Stars like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper and Randolph Scott come to mind. Sure they lent their acting talents to non-Western films and did right well with some of them; but Western roles are the ones that set their careers apart.
We also have a long list of talented actors who excelled in a wide range of roles, while numbering Westerns among their best. Actors like Jimmy Stewart, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Kevin Kostner, Lee Marvin, James Coburn and so many more. We’ll cover the prominent among them in this series.
We can add stars to the list who made western marks in the conversation for best of all time portrayals of some iconic character, like Emilio Estavez, best Billy the Kid ever in Young Guns and Val Kilmer, best Doc Holiday ever for Tombstone. Kurt Russell gets into the best Wyatt Earp conversation for Tombstone. Those films had great supporting roles played by the likes of Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips and Gene Hackman.
Sentimentally, I wanted to include Ronald Reagan among the big screen Western stars. He came by his boots and hat honestly, sitting a horse like a natural. His Western roles came along with his portrayal of George Gipp in Knute Rockne, All American and a co-starring role opposite a loveable chimpanzee named Bonzo. Still the cowboy role suited him even after he earned a new pair of spurs doing another prestigious gig.
So let’s spend some time revisiting our favorite Western stars of the big screen. Remember the roles we appreciated the most and maybe even remind ourselves how much we enjoyed some of those classic movies. Those films might have the makings of yet another post series.
Next Week: Randolf Scott
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Ride easy,
Paul
We also have a long list of talented actors who excelled in a wide range of roles, while numbering Westerns among their best. Actors like Jimmy Stewart, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Kevin Kostner, Lee Marvin, James Coburn and so many more. We’ll cover the prominent among them in this series.
We can add stars to the list who made western marks in the conversation for best of all time portrayals of some iconic character, like Emilio Estavez, best Billy the Kid ever in Young Guns and Val Kilmer, best Doc Holiday ever for Tombstone. Kurt Russell gets into the best Wyatt Earp conversation for Tombstone. Those films had great supporting roles played by the likes of Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips and Gene Hackman.
Sentimentally, I wanted to include Ronald Reagan among the big screen Western stars. He came by his boots and hat honestly, sitting a horse like a natural. His Western roles came along with his portrayal of George Gipp in Knute Rockne, All American and a co-starring role opposite a loveable chimpanzee named Bonzo. Still the cowboy role suited him even after he earned a new pair of spurs doing another prestigious gig.
So let’s spend some time revisiting our favorite Western stars of the big screen. Remember the roles we appreciated the most and maybe even remind ourselves how much we enjoyed some of those classic movies. Those films might have the makings of yet another post series.
Next Week: Randolf Scott
Return to Facebook to comment
Ride easy,
Paul
November 30, 2019
Cowboys Do The Right Thing
This one can be difficult for young people. Peer pressure is socially compulsive for the young. When the crowd goes one way and the right thing leads in a different direction; it takes courage to do the right thing. It may seem popular or easy to go along with the crowd. If you don’t go along, the crowd may resent you or make fun of you. When you do the right thing, you make them uncomfortable with what they are doing. What they think doesn’t matter. What matters is what you do. You can’t go wrong when you do the right thing; but it can take courage.
One of the questions posed again and again in this series asked: Where do young people go to learn these values? In answer to the question, we looked for heroes and role models in popular culture and day-to-day life. Sometimes we found them and sometimes we were left to look in the mirror. The cowboy codes I summarized for this series were those of my boyhood heroes. Only one of them mentioned a cowboy’s religious belief. That’s too bad; because faith is an important value for a great many cowboys- this one included. Where does a young person go to learn the values expressed in the cowboy code? How about church?
If you make a cowboy way of doing things your way of life, you’ll be on the right trail. Someday you’ll look over the back trail of your life and see that, for all the twists and turns it took to get there, you ended up in the right place. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us find it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
7. Cowboys Ride for the Brand
8. Cowboys are Courteous
9. Cowboys Help Others in Need
10. Cowboys Do the Right Thing
That’s about it for this series, hope you enjoyed it. A lot of you did and passed these bow-legged musings along to family and friends. Thank you for that. We touched some nerves here and that’s good. We try to keep these posts interesting. One thing about word whittling, there are always plenty of shavings on the floor.
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
One of the questions posed again and again in this series asked: Where do young people go to learn these values? In answer to the question, we looked for heroes and role models in popular culture and day-to-day life. Sometimes we found them and sometimes we were left to look in the mirror. The cowboy codes I summarized for this series were those of my boyhood heroes. Only one of them mentioned a cowboy’s religious belief. That’s too bad; because faith is an important value for a great many cowboys- this one included. Where does a young person go to learn the values expressed in the cowboy code? How about church?
If you make a cowboy way of doing things your way of life, you’ll be on the right trail. Someday you’ll look over the back trail of your life and see that, for all the twists and turns it took to get there, you ended up in the right place. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us find it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
7. Cowboys Ride for the Brand
8. Cowboys are Courteous
9. Cowboys Help Others in Need
10. Cowboys Do the Right Thing
That’s about it for this series, hope you enjoyed it. A lot of you did and passed these bow-legged musings along to family and friends. Thank you for that. We touched some nerves here and that’s good. We try to keep these posts interesting. One thing about word whittling, there are always plenty of shavings on the floor.
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
November 23, 2019
Cowboys Help Those in Need
Young folks do not learn the value of unselfish service from popular culture, the next hot new phone or touch pad gadget. It’s not that there is anything wrong with the conveniences of our digital world; but there is a risk we become so immersed in virtual reality, we lose our connection to personal reality. Human interaction is the basis of service. You have to step out of virtual reality to experience it. Next time you sit down in a restaurant look around. Who’s talking? How many folks are sitting there heads down, totally absorbed in their thumbs?
Leaders who teach the value of unselfish service, toil in the anonymity of day-to-day life. They are teachers, coaches, pastors, and youth leaders in a myriad of organized activities. They aren’t accorded celebrity. It is up to us to applaud their service. They are the unselfish role models who teach our young people the talk to talk and the walk to walk.
That bit of Cowboy Code needs our help to rub off on kids by making good examples of our own lives. Find constructive service activities to go along with recreational pursuits like sports, the arts, or the myriad electronic distractions that fill our days. The opportunities are all around us, folks in tough economic circumstance, old folks, at risk kids. You don’t have to look far to find opportunities to step outside yourself. Help a kid find one.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
7. Cowboys Ride for the Brand
8. Cowboys are Courteous
9. Cowboys Help Those in Need
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
Leaders who teach the value of unselfish service, toil in the anonymity of day-to-day life. They are teachers, coaches, pastors, and youth leaders in a myriad of organized activities. They aren’t accorded celebrity. It is up to us to applaud their service. They are the unselfish role models who teach our young people the talk to talk and the walk to walk.
That bit of Cowboy Code needs our help to rub off on kids by making good examples of our own lives. Find constructive service activities to go along with recreational pursuits like sports, the arts, or the myriad electronic distractions that fill our days. The opportunities are all around us, folks in tough economic circumstance, old folks, at risk kids. You don’t have to look far to find opportunities to step outside yourself. Help a kid find one.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
7. Cowboys Ride for the Brand
8. Cowboys are Courteous
9. Cowboys Help Those in Need
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
November 16, 2019
Cowboys are Courteous
Little things like courtesy count. It’s rewarding to do little things, like offer a friendly greeting, smile, hold a door, share a laugh or wish someone a good day. Extending simple courtesies to others as we go about the business of our daily lives may not seem important. They’re little. They don’t cost anything or take much effort. They won’t change things in a big way; but here’s a secret: They’re contagious. If you are courteous, pleasant and polite, others are inclined to respond in kind. Change enough little things and you can have a big effect on your life and the lives of those around you.
The challenge we face today is that we are all so busy. We rush from one obligation to the next chore, checking things off lists that never seem to get done. We bury ourselves in phones and tablets, texting, emailing, browsing and searching for that next vital whatever. Who has time to smile at the grocery clerk or wish your coworker a good day? In the crush of all that, how do young people learn the value of doing little things? How do any of us? Pause and purposefully practice the little things. When they come back to you, you’ll know you made a difference. Try it. It works.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
7. Cowboys Ride for the Brand
8. Cowboys are Courteous
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
The challenge we face today is that we are all so busy. We rush from one obligation to the next chore, checking things off lists that never seem to get done. We bury ourselves in phones and tablets, texting, emailing, browsing and searching for that next vital whatever. Who has time to smile at the grocery clerk or wish your coworker a good day? In the crush of all that, how do young people learn the value of doing little things? How do any of us? Pause and purposefully practice the little things. When they come back to you, you’ll know you made a difference. Try it. It works.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
7. Cowboys Ride for the Brand
8. Cowboys are Courteous
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
November 9, 2019
Cowboys Ride for the Brand
‘Ride for the brand’ is a singularly cowboy expression. Some say it owes its origin to Louis L’Amour. I’ve tried to verify that; but haven’t succeeded. Maybe some of you know the origin. Where the expression comes from is less important than the lesson it conveys. We owe our families, friends, country and the organizations we represent respect and allegiance. Loyalty is expressed in what we say and do. Most folks recognize that brand of loyalty as one of the values embodied in the Code of the West.
In our ‘me-first’ culture people aren’t always loyal. All too frequently we see people grab their fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of their employer or their country. Some of these cases can be quite spectacular. People who take advantage of their position to seek notoriety, don’t see the statement it makes about their personal character. For them fifteen minutes of fame is all that matters. The sad thing is, they get their fifteen minutes of fame from a culture that sensationalizes and rewards this sort of behavior. That’s a statement our culture makes about too many of us.
Where do young people learn the value of loyalty? Where do they learn to ride for the brand? The best examples I can think of are our men and women in uniform. Our service members, police officers and first responders ride for the brand of country and community every day. They do it for all of us. They do it out of a sense of duty we should all admire and respect. Hold them up as heroes for young people to admire. Make a point of thanking them for their service when you meet them. It may give the young folks around you a sense of patriotism and duty they don’t get in school or popular culture these days.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
7. Cowboys Ride for the Brand
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
In our ‘me-first’ culture people aren’t always loyal. All too frequently we see people grab their fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of their employer or their country. Some of these cases can be quite spectacular. People who take advantage of their position to seek notoriety, don’t see the statement it makes about their personal character. For them fifteen minutes of fame is all that matters. The sad thing is, they get their fifteen minutes of fame from a culture that sensationalizes and rewards this sort of behavior. That’s a statement our culture makes about too many of us.
Where do young people learn the value of loyalty? Where do they learn to ride for the brand? The best examples I can think of are our men and women in uniform. Our service members, police officers and first responders ride for the brand of country and community every day. They do it for all of us. They do it out of a sense of duty we should all admire and respect. Hold them up as heroes for young people to admire. Make a point of thanking them for their service when you meet them. It may give the young folks around you a sense of patriotism and duty they don’t get in school or popular culture these days.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
7. Cowboys Ride for the Brand
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
November 2, 2019
Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
“Whatever you do, do your best. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” We all have different skills and abilities. Nobody does everything equally well; but for everything we do, each of us has a best. You know when you do your best; and you know when you don’t. Where do our young people learn the value of doing their best? Where do they learn to strive for excellence?
Excellence can be competitive. Popular culture has a problem with competition. Grades in school don’t mean what they used to. We have organized sports for kids that don’t keep score. We have contests where everyone wins a prize so no one feels bad. What kind of life lesson does that teach? Why do your best, every outcome is the same? There is value in winning and learning to lose. It builds character. That’s how life is played. We keep score. If the average grade at Harvard today is A-, (and it was, when last checked), Harvard is a joke.
It isn’t just about winning and losing. It’s about how hard you try. Growing up we had a report card ritual at our house. When report cards came home, my brother and I would sit down at the kitchen table with dad. He read our cards in a particular way. He’d read all the effort grades first. Then he’d read the academic grades. Neither of us were straight A students, so invariably he’d find an academic clinker or two lurking in there somewhere. That wasn’t a problem, as long as the effort was there. We got in trouble if our effort wasn’t up to our abilities. A good academic grade didn’t get you off the hook for poor effort either. Effort came first. We were expected to do our best.
We all need to learn the value of our personal best. We need to learn to take pride in it. We don’t all achieve at the same level; but we are all capable of our personal best, if we try. Popular culture doesn’t teach young people the value of striving for their personal best. Kids are taught they deserve a prize because everyone gets one.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us find it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
Excellence can be competitive. Popular culture has a problem with competition. Grades in school don’t mean what they used to. We have organized sports for kids that don’t keep score. We have contests where everyone wins a prize so no one feels bad. What kind of life lesson does that teach? Why do your best, every outcome is the same? There is value in winning and learning to lose. It builds character. That’s how life is played. We keep score. If the average grade at Harvard today is A-, (and it was, when last checked), Harvard is a joke.
It isn’t just about winning and losing. It’s about how hard you try. Growing up we had a report card ritual at our house. When report cards came home, my brother and I would sit down at the kitchen table with dad. He read our cards in a particular way. He’d read all the effort grades first. Then he’d read the academic grades. Neither of us were straight A students, so invariably he’d find an academic clinker or two lurking in there somewhere. That wasn’t a problem, as long as the effort was there. We got in trouble if our effort wasn’t up to our abilities. A good academic grade didn’t get you off the hook for poor effort either. Effort came first. We were expected to do our best.
We all need to learn the value of our personal best. We need to learn to take pride in it. We don’t all achieve at the same level; but we are all capable of our personal best, if we try. Popular culture doesn’t teach young people the value of striving for their personal best. Kids are taught they deserve a prize because everyone gets one.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us find it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
6. Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
October 26, 2019
Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Quietly doing what’s needed is counter-cultural in our ‘look-at-me’, ‘selfie-society’ of social media. OK you’re reading this on social media. Point taken. Guilty as charged. But we are still left with the question: What’s cool about doing what you are supposed to do if nobody notices?
People do notice what we do. It may not be under the bright light of media celebrity, but the people around you know what you do. In fact your actions say more about you than anything you could put into words. Your life is a body of work. It accumulates in something we call reputation. It’s what you are known for. It’s who you are as a person. It’s how you will be remembered; and in life’s final reckoning, it’s the only thing you get to take with you.
Throughout these posts we pose the question: Where do young people go to learn these values? Often we are left to suggest that it is up to us to make a little of the cowboy code rub off on the young by living the code ourselves. Said another way we set an example by what we do. We may not do it consciously, but maybe we should. Our actions do speak louder than words.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
People do notice what we do. It may not be under the bright light of media celebrity, but the people around you know what you do. In fact your actions say more about you than anything you could put into words. Your life is a body of work. It accumulates in something we call reputation. It’s what you are known for. It’s who you are as a person. It’s how you will be remembered; and in life’s final reckoning, it’s the only thing you get to take with you.
Throughout these posts we pose the question: Where do young people go to learn these values? Often we are left to suggest that it is up to us to make a little of the cowboy code rub off on the young by living the code ourselves. Said another way we set an example by what we do. We may not do it consciously, but maybe we should. Our actions do speak louder than words.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
5. Cowboy Actions Speak Louder Than Words
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
October 19, 2019
Cowboys Respect Authority
Cowboys respect authority. Seems simple enough. Organized human activities generally place someone in charge. As I remember learning this as a kid, authority figures were easy to identify. Parents, teachers, pastors, scout leaders, coaches, the police, we experienced them all. We recognized political leaders and business leaders as authority figures even if we didn’t interact with them. They all set out expectations for us to follow. We were expected to do as we were told, because people in authority were deserving of respect and obedience. When we did as we were told, we were good. When we didn’t, we were rightfully in trouble. Then we grew-up.
Things seem more complicated today. Maybe it’s because we’re older and see things differently than we did as youngsters; or maybe some things have fundamentally changed. I don’t know which it is. All I know is that in this day and age it can be difficult to respect authority; either because we don’t agree with what that authority expects of us; or because the person in authority is somehow less deserving of our respect. I suspect it is some of all of the above.
If we struggle balancing respect for legitimate authority in our lives as adults, how do we teach young people that value? We see individuals who stand for or symbolize authority all around us. Some are deserving of respect. Others are not. Culturally respect for authority is not something we celebrate. Respect for authority is the province of daily life, an expectation that largely goes unnoticed, unless some act of disrespect or disobedience draws attention to it.
Once again we find the need to ask; where do young people learn respect for authority? Who are the heroes who help us advance the value? Maybe we are left to make that bit of the cowboy code rub off on our young folks by teaching them the value at a young age. That starts with parents; but altogether too many of our young people find themselves in family situations where these values are challenged. That leaves it to the rest of us to set an example.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
Things seem more complicated today. Maybe it’s because we’re older and see things differently than we did as youngsters; or maybe some things have fundamentally changed. I don’t know which it is. All I know is that in this day and age it can be difficult to respect authority; either because we don’t agree with what that authority expects of us; or because the person in authority is somehow less deserving of our respect. I suspect it is some of all of the above.
If we struggle balancing respect for legitimate authority in our lives as adults, how do we teach young people that value? We see individuals who stand for or symbolize authority all around us. Some are deserving of respect. Others are not. Culturally respect for authority is not something we celebrate. Respect for authority is the province of daily life, an expectation that largely goes unnoticed, unless some act of disrespect or disobedience draws attention to it.
Once again we find the need to ask; where do young people learn respect for authority? Who are the heroes who help us advance the value? Maybe we are left to make that bit of the cowboy code rub off on our young folks by teaching them the value at a young age. That starts with parents; but altogether too many of our young people find themselves in family situations where these values are challenged. That leaves it to the rest of us to set an example.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
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Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
October 12, 2019
Cowboys Play by the Rules
Today media and popular culture bombard us with example after example of people looking out for number one. People trying to get an edge. Behaviors run the gamut from athletes using performance enhancing drugs, to inside-traders cheating the market on Wall Street, to fraudulent marketing scams or cheating on exams. Those who engage in these behaviors excuse them in the misguided belief: The end somehow justifies the means. The idea that a person is responsible for self-discipline in abiding by rules seems idealistic and naive. Rules are made to be broken. Fair play is for losers. Nice guys finish last.
Once again we find the need to ask; where do our young people learn the value of playing by the rules? Their heroes tend to be those society holds up to celebrity. Who are the heroes they are given to admire as persons of integrity? Maybe we should make sure a bit of the cowboy code rubs off on them by helping them find heroes whose integrity they can admire. Maybe it’s a teacher. Maybe it’s a coach. Maybe it’s you. Integrity is its own reward, if you practice it.
The first three values in my cowboy code describe a person of integrity. You can find people of integrity in our culture today; but you have to look for them. Few of them are stars or popular idols. Those who are, enjoy their celebrity from some other achievement in athletics, entertainment or professional excellence. Integrity is incidental to celebrity. We don’t celebrate integrity in ordinary walks of life, it’s expected. When it comes to human behavior, reward something and you get more of it. Ignore something and it’s not important.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
Once again we find the need to ask; where do our young people learn the value of playing by the rules? Their heroes tend to be those society holds up to celebrity. Who are the heroes they are given to admire as persons of integrity? Maybe we should make sure a bit of the cowboy code rubs off on them by helping them find heroes whose integrity they can admire. Maybe it’s a teacher. Maybe it’s a coach. Maybe it’s you. Integrity is its own reward, if you practice it.
The first three values in my cowboy code describe a person of integrity. You can find people of integrity in our culture today; but you have to look for them. Few of them are stars or popular idols. Those who are, enjoy their celebrity from some other achievement in athletics, entertainment or professional excellence. Integrity is incidental to celebrity. We don’t celebrate integrity in ordinary walks of life, it’s expected. When it comes to human behavior, reward something and you get more of it. Ignore something and it’s not important.
Popular culture comes and popular culture goes, but the cowboy way of doing things never goes out of style. There’s a little cowboy in all of us. The Cowboy Code helps us show it.
1. Cowboys Tell the Truth
2. A Cowboy’s Word is His Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
RETURN TO FACEBOOK TO COMMENT
Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddler...
