Cowboy ethics
Earlier this year, Gov. Dave made it official – Wyoming now has an official state code. Derived from (some of) the loose and unofficial Code of the West, the modern version leaves out line items like "always drink your whiskey with your gun hand to show your good intentions" and "complain about cooking and you become the cook." Some of the ones I like to interpret metaphorically (e.g. "always fill your glass to the brim" and "always tend to your horse's needs before your own") are absent as well.
As a writer, I can appreciate the distilled down, essential version. However, when I investigated the long version, I was a little shocked... not because of anything the code says, but because I've been steeped in these principles my whole life without knowing it. That's why I respect that "a handshake is more binding than a contract" and why my hackles raise when someone is "all gurgle and no guts."
Even though I'm not a Wyomingite, and certainly not a cowboy, some chance encounters over the past couple of weeks have inspired me to keep the short code handy, and do better to live by it.
- Live each day with courage
- Take pride in your work
- Always finish what you start
- Do what has to be done
- Be tough, but fair
- When you make a promise, keep it
- Ride for the brand
- Talk less, say more
- Remember that some things aren't for sale
- Know where to draw the line
Drill rigs in Jonah Field. Not by accident, Jonah Bank adopted the same principles for its own code of ethics.