Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?

College Kids,

Where have all the cowboys gone?
John
Arcata, CA

John,

Before I can answer your question we must first understand what a cowboy is (or was). You see a cowboy was not just some guy on a horse riding into the sunset. Nor were most of them gun blasting villains. Despite what TV may make you think, most cowboys were American men living out their lives. They lived off the land and their main goal was to survive. Although the life of a cowboy may not have been always exciting, what they did was very important.

Cowboys have represented some of the finest American beliefs since its creation. These include: freedom, patriotism, individualism, respect, and appreciation of this earth. They lived off the land, respected it, and took only what they needed. The cowboys were amongst the first group of people to discover the American West and pioneered a new way of life. Also, in a time of segregation there were huge amounts of Mexican and African-American cowboys all across the South and Midwest. To them race was not nearly as important.

As I write this I try to imagine life on the prairie. It must have been very difficult to have lived and survive in such conditions. When I picture a cowboy alone on the range, I wonder what they thought of themselves. Did they think of themselves as heroes, or idols? Probably not. They were just regular people living out their lives, and for all we know they were not heroes. Of course that depends on how you define one.

If someone who lives their life being free, helping others, and building our county is not a hero then I do not know what is.

Now back to your question. Where have all the cowboys gone? In a very literal sense, well, most of them have died. Of course in a more idealistic sense they have not gone anywhere. The problem is there is not enough of them these days.

So ask yourself. Are you a cowboy?

Will you fight for what you believe in?

Will you choose to live free?

Will you help others?

Will you protect our earth?

Then cowboy up!

Cheers,

The College Kids