Paul Colt's Blog, page 55
February 22, 2015
Lingo
As a writer I love playing with words. I sometimes refer to it as word whittling. You can have fun with it and put a little humor into a story in the bargain. One of my favorite lines in A Question of Bounty takes place in a saloon where Billy the Kid is attempting to write a letter to Governor Lew Wallace, requesting a pardon for his part in the Lincoln County War. The bartender, Pat Garrett helps him get his tongue around the fact that Wallace granted others involved in the war ‘Amnesty’. When the letter is finished, the grateful Kid tells Garrett, “If Honorable Ole Lew gives me animosity, I’ll have you to thank.”
We speak and write a living language. It evolves. Remember when somebody’s cell meant they were in jail? And whatever happened to Daddy-O, Dude? But I date myself. We add words, accepted meanings change and yes some words fall into disuse. Evolution in language comes into sharp focus for the intrepid author who presumes to write in another era, say the nineteenth-century.
There are two sides to the lingo coin. First you need take care that contemporary terms don’t find their way into periods before they were accepted. In today’s world with so much self-publishing, contemporary word creep happens more than it should. Can you picture Wyatt Earp saying he was ‘OK’ after the famous gunfight? I didn’t think so. Good editors catch that sort of thing. I’m blessed to have one. Not everybody does. Today’s younger editors are the product of their educations. I have a running editorial fuss over my use of ‘alright’ and contemporary insistence on ‘all right’. The flip side to the lingo coin can make for a bit of fun.
A couple of years ago I stumbled on a book based on the reminiscences of General David J. Cook, Superintendent of an organization that called itself the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. Cook and his organization are the inspiration for my Great Western Detective League series. The book, first published in 1882, is a compilation of case reports on criminal investigations conducted by Cook’s association. Needless to say the language in the reports is pure nineteenth century. I found the terminology so amusing I started building a little glossary. I thought I might use a term or two here and there to give my stories a ring of authenticity.
There is a risk of frustrating the modern reader if you over use antique jargon, so sparing is the watchword. Still who can resist something as tempting as: a character wending his way thitherward? Can you picture a romantic heroine who inspires her man to cupidity? Used sparingly, I see opportunities to capture a little rascality and jollification! We don’t dress our Victorian women in mini-skirts. Why deny our characters a little nostalgia in the lingo they use?
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
We speak and write a living language. It evolves. Remember when somebody’s cell meant they were in jail? And whatever happened to Daddy-O, Dude? But I date myself. We add words, accepted meanings change and yes some words fall into disuse. Evolution in language comes into sharp focus for the intrepid author who presumes to write in another era, say the nineteenth-century.
There are two sides to the lingo coin. First you need take care that contemporary terms don’t find their way into periods before they were accepted. In today’s world with so much self-publishing, contemporary word creep happens more than it should. Can you picture Wyatt Earp saying he was ‘OK’ after the famous gunfight? I didn’t think so. Good editors catch that sort of thing. I’m blessed to have one. Not everybody does. Today’s younger editors are the product of their educations. I have a running editorial fuss over my use of ‘alright’ and contemporary insistence on ‘all right’. The flip side to the lingo coin can make for a bit of fun.
A couple of years ago I stumbled on a book based on the reminiscences of General David J. Cook, Superintendent of an organization that called itself the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. Cook and his organization are the inspiration for my Great Western Detective League series. The book, first published in 1882, is a compilation of case reports on criminal investigations conducted by Cook’s association. Needless to say the language in the reports is pure nineteenth century. I found the terminology so amusing I started building a little glossary. I thought I might use a term or two here and there to give my stories a ring of authenticity.
There is a risk of frustrating the modern reader if you over use antique jargon, so sparing is the watchword. Still who can resist something as tempting as: a character wending his way thitherward? Can you picture a romantic heroine who inspires her man to cupidity? Used sparingly, I see opportunities to capture a little rascality and jollification! We don’t dress our Victorian women in mini-skirts. Why deny our characters a little nostalgia in the lingo they use?
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
Lingo
As a writer I love playing with words. I sometimes refer to it as word whittling. You can have fun with it and put a little humor into a story in the bargain. One of my favorite lines in A Question of Bounty takes place in a saloon where Billy the Kid is attempting to write a letter to Governor Lew Wallace, requesting a pardon for his part in the Lincoln County War. The bartender, Pat Garrett helps him get his tongue around the fact that Wallace granted others involved in the war ‘Amnesty’. When the letter is finished, the grateful Kid tells Garrett, “If Honorable Ole Lew gives me animosity, I’ll have you to thank.”
We speak and write a living language. It evolves. Remember when somebody’s cell meant they were in jail? And whatever happened to Daddy-O, Dude? But I date myself. We add words, accepted meanings change and yes some words fall into disuse. Evolution in language comes into sharp focus for the intrepid author who presumes to write in another era, say the nineteenth-century.
There are two sides to the lingo coin. First you need take care that contemporary terms don’t find their way into periods before they were accepted. In today’s world with so much self-publishing, contemporary word creep happens more than it should. Can you picture Wyatt Earp saying he was ‘OK’ after the famous gunfight? I didn’t think so. Good editors catch that sort of thing. I’m blessed to have one. Not everybody does. Today’s younger editors are the product of their educations. I have a running editorial fuss over my use of ‘alright’ and contemporary insistence on ‘all right’. The flip side to the lingo coin can make for a bit of fun.
A couple of years ago I stumbled on a book based on the reminiscences of General David J. Cook, Superintendent of an organization that called itself the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. Cook and his organization are the inspiration for my Great Western Detective League series. The book, first published in 1882, is a compilation of case reports on criminal investigations conducted by Cook’s association. Needless to say the language in the reports is pure nineteenth century. I found the terminology so amusing I started building a little glossary. I thought I might use a term or two here and there to give my stories a ring of authenticity.
There is a risk of frustrating the modern reader if you over use antique jargon, so sparing is the watchword. Still who can resist something as tempting as: a character wending his way thitherward? Can you picture a romantic heroine who inspires her man to cupidity? Used sparingly, I see opportunities to capture a little rascality and jollification! We don’t dress our Victorian women in mini-skirts. Why deny our characters a little nostalgia in the lingo they use?
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
We speak and write a living language. It evolves. Remember when somebody’s cell meant they were in jail? And whatever happened to Daddy-O, Dude? But I date myself. We add words, accepted meanings change and yes some words fall into disuse. Evolution in language comes into sharp focus for the intrepid author who presumes to write in another era, say the nineteenth-century.
There are two sides to the lingo coin. First you need take care that contemporary terms don’t find their way into periods before they were accepted. In today’s world with so much self-publishing, contemporary word creep happens more than it should. Can you picture Wyatt Earp saying he was ‘OK’ after the famous gunfight? I didn’t think so. Good editors catch that sort of thing. I’m blessed to have one. Not everybody does. Today’s younger editors are the product of their educations. I have a running editorial fuss over my use of ‘alright’ and contemporary insistence on ‘all right’. The flip side to the lingo coin can make for a bit of fun.
A couple of years ago I stumbled on a book based on the reminiscences of General David J. Cook, Superintendent of an organization that called itself the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. Cook and his organization are the inspiration for my Great Western Detective League series. The book, first published in 1882, is a compilation of case reports on criminal investigations conducted by Cook’s association. Needless to say the language in the reports is pure nineteenth century. I found the terminology so amusing I started building a little glossary. I thought I might use a term or two here and there to give my stories a ring of authenticity.
There is a risk of frustrating the modern reader if you over use antique jargon, so sparing is the watchword. Still who can resist something as tempting as: a character wending his way thitherward? Can you picture a romantic heroine who inspires her man to cupidity? Used sparingly, I see opportunities to capture a little rascality and jollification! We don’t dress our Victorian women in mini-skirts. Why deny our characters a little nostalgia in the lingo they use?
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
February 15, 2015
Pinkerton Had a Competitor, Who Knew?
My readers know I favor ‘Unexpected History’- stories based on some little known or overlooked aspect of an otherwise familiar character or event. Those historical gems produce stories like Boots and Saddles: A Call to Glory and A Question of Bounty: The Shadow of Doubt. Unfortunately stories like that don’t come along every day. When one does, it can take two or three years to research, write and publish the book. So what does a word whittler do between big stories? That’s where the Great Western Detective League series comes in. These stories might stray a bit from my unexpected history brand; but I think we can have fun with them ‘cause sometimes you just feel like a fun read.
The premise for the series actually started with a bit of unexpected history. You’ve probably heard of the Pinkerton Detective Agency; but did you know Pinkerton had a competitor? Probably not. That’s the unexpected part. A couple of years ago I came across a compilation of case reports from a nineteenth century organization known as The Rocky Mountain Detective Association. That inspired the series. The first book, Wanted: Sam Bass was just released.
The series imagines an association of law enforcement professionals competing with Pinkerton for bounties, rewards and recoveries offered in high profile criminal cases that cross traditional law enforcement jurisdictions. The first book puts together a colorful cast of characters for the League and for Pinkerton and sends them off on the trail of the notorious stage and train robber, Sam Bass. We’ll see where these characters take us from there. They promise plenty of western action with crime detective and romance crossovers. It’s a fun write; ‘cause sometimes you just feel like a fun read.
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
The premise for the series actually started with a bit of unexpected history. You’ve probably heard of the Pinkerton Detective Agency; but did you know Pinkerton had a competitor? Probably not. That’s the unexpected part. A couple of years ago I came across a compilation of case reports from a nineteenth century organization known as The Rocky Mountain Detective Association. That inspired the series. The first book, Wanted: Sam Bass was just released.
The series imagines an association of law enforcement professionals competing with Pinkerton for bounties, rewards and recoveries offered in high profile criminal cases that cross traditional law enforcement jurisdictions. The first book puts together a colorful cast of characters for the League and for Pinkerton and sends them off on the trail of the notorious stage and train robber, Sam Bass. We’ll see where these characters take us from there. They promise plenty of western action with crime detective and romance crossovers. It’s a fun write; ‘cause sometimes you just feel like a fun read.
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
February 8, 2015
Cowboys Do The Right Thing
The tenth and final value in my cowboy code summary is 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 these posts 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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 your family and friends. Thank you for that. We touched some nerves and that’s good. We’ll try to keep these posts interesting. One thing about word whittling, there are plenty of shavings on the floor.
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
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 these posts 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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 your family and friends. Thank you for that. We touched some nerves and that’s good. We’ll try to keep these posts interesting. One thing about word whittling, there are plenty of shavings on the floor.
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
February 1, 2015
Cowboys Help Others in Need
The ninth value in my cowboy code summary is Cowboys help others in need.
Where do our young people learn to appreciate the value of unselfish service? They are not going to learn it from popular culture or the next hot new phone or touch pad gadget. It’s not that there is anything wrong with the conveniences of our wired world; but there is a risk in becoming so immersed in virtual reality, we lose our connection to human reality. Human interaction is the basis of service. You have to step out of virtual reality to experience that. 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 the 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
Where do our young people learn to appreciate the value of unselfish service? They are not going to learn it from popular culture or the next hot new phone or touch pad gadget. It’s not that there is anything wrong with the conveniences of our wired world; but there is a risk in becoming so immersed in virtual reality, we lose our connection to human reality. Human interaction is the basis of service. You have to step out of virtual reality to experience that. 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 the 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
January 25, 2015
Cowboys are Courteous
The eighth value in my cowboy code summary is Cowboys are courteous.
It’s important to do the big character things in the cowboy code, tell the truth, keep our word and play by the rules. It’s worth calling this value out because it speaks to how we approach the small things in our daily lives. 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 much 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 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
It’s important to do the big character things in the cowboy code, tell the truth, keep our word and play by the rules. It’s worth calling this value out because it speaks to how we approach the small things in our daily lives. 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 much 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 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
January 18, 2015
Cowboys Ride for the Brand
This is the seventh value in my cowboy code summary. Cowboys ride for the brand. They are loyal to family, country and those they work for.
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, 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. We see people grab their fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of their employer or country all too frequently. Some of these cases can be quite spectacular as with the NSA leaks. 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 is from our men and women in uniform. Our service members, police officers and first responders ride for the brand of this country 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 see 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
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, 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. We see people grab their fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of their employer or country all too frequently. Some of these cases can be quite spectacular as with the NSA leaks. 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 is from our men and women in uniform. Our service members, police officers and first responders ride for the brand of this country 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 see 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
January 11, 2015
Cowboys Take Pride in Their Work
The sixth value in my summary cowboy code is cowboy’s take pride in their work.
My dad taught me this one. “Son,” he said. “Whatever you do, do your best. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” Pretty simple. 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 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-, 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 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
My dad taught me this one. “Son,” he said. “Whatever you do, do your best. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” Pretty simple. 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 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-, 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 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a 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
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
January 4, 2015
December 28, 2014
Cowboys Respect Authority
The fourth value in my summary cowboy code is Cowboys respect authority. They understand when others are in charge at home, in school, in church or at work. They take their place and do what is expected of them without complaint.
Before we get to that, here is something those who appreciate western literature are sure to enjoy. Some of my pards from Western Writers of America have launched a free online e-zine devoted to western literature. You can find it at www.saddlebagdispatches.com. It is a great way to meet western writers and enjoy their work. You can’t beat the price. Happy New Year. Now back to the cowboy code.
Respect for 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 changed fundamentally. 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 with 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 all 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
Before we get to that, here is something those who appreciate western literature are sure to enjoy. Some of my pards from Western Writers of America have launched a free online e-zine devoted to western literature. You can find it at www.saddlebagdispatches.com. It is a great way to meet western writers and enjoy their work. You can’t beat the price. Happy New Year. Now back to the cowboy code.
Respect for 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 changed fundamentally. 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 with 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 all 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 are Truthful and Honest
2. A Cowboy’s Word is a Bond
3. Cowboys Play by the Rules
4. Cowboys Respect Authority
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
