The Code Of The West

<a href="http://beefmagazine.com/cowcalfweekly/the-code-west/">The Code Of The West</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>I use the term, "code of the west," a lot to signify all those things that are so great about our industry but are kind of unspoken intangibles. Of course, there never was a formal code truly defined, and I've read that Zane Gray first actually used the term, which has nothing to do with geography but rather a mindset.<br />n<br />nSeveral people have written me to provide my definition of the code. Here's a partial list:<br />n<br />n * Don't ask about a person's past. In the West it was even frowned upon to ask a man his name. This guideline had a practical side in those days, as many people who moved West had a past they maybe didn't want to divulge. But it goes deeper than that — namely, everyone should be judged based on the person they are today, not what they were. </blockquote><br />n<br />nThis was quite interesting. I would really have to agree with all the things listed. The ones that struck me most were, Don't ask about a person's past, Your word is your sacred bond, Respect the land and Respect others. The rest are true too. I guess they all kind of fit in and expand on my personal philosophy, don't lie, don't cheat, don't steal. Real simple.<br />n<br />n<strong>The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next. Henry Ward Beecher</strong>