I recently ran across Cowboy
Values by James P. Owen. The book looked intriguing, but when I went to buy
it, I decided to start with Cowboy Ethics,
Owen's first cowboy book.
Cowboy Ethics is
like getting two books in one. The first is a kaleidoscopic tour of cowboy life.
Owen’s description of cowboy ethics is the purported purpose of the book, but renowned
Western photographer David R. Stoecklein’s pictures grab the reader’s attention. Breathtaking photographs appear on nearly every page and alone are worth
the price of the book.
The full title is Cowboy
Ethics, What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West. In my
opinion, the whole of American society, not just the tip of Manhattan Island,
should rediscover the Code of the West. Owen points out that this code has
never actually been written down, so he took several years to put together his
own list. I think he does a good job of summing up the Code of the West.
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| Real Cowgirls by David R. Stoecklein |
1. Live each day
with courage
2. Take pride in
your work
3. Always finish
what you start
4. Do what has to be
done
5. Be tough, but
fair
6. When you make a
promise, keep it
7. Ride for the
brand
8. Talk less and say
more
9. Remember that
some things aren’t for sale
10. Know where to
draw the line.
If you’re a cowboy, you already know the code, but it never
hurts to be reminded. The brilliance of this book is that the remarkable photographs
will pull you into the code over and over again. Isn’t that how ethics have
been passed down from generation to generation for eons—by repetition.
