I stumbled across this quote from John Wayne. " A man has to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job. " Well, you just can't argue with the Duke. In reading that quote I began to think, just what code or creed do I live by ? I think it is a question we should all ask ourselves. It is a question not easily answered.
I do not know what context that quote from John Wayne was presented in. Giving that John Wayne is best known for his portrayal of the American cowboy it is easy to think that is the code he was speaking of. The code of the west, we have all heard of that. I think it is the same concept that I have written about, only I call it a set of standards. Standards are something we use to measure ourselves against. I would say a code or creed serves the same purpose. And yes, I believe we all need one no matter our job. In that context a job is not what we do to earn a living, our job is just living our life. I think that is what John Wayne was talking about.
The code of the west. It is a code created by Hollywood. It is well defined and almost all Americans would know basically what it is. Did it exist in actual practice ? Yes, I would say it did. In reality it was a set of standards of behavior. Those particular behaviors were required in order to exist in that environment. They were what was expected. Anything less than those standards were frowned upon. Social pressure dictated compliance. Individuality was embraced but adherence to the code was mandatory. The two things co-existed in harmony. There was a code to get the job done. In that case it was settling a portion of the country where there was little law. The security of calling in reinforcements ( the police ) did not exist.
In today's world we live in a society of law.Our codes,creeds and standards are written down. These are the minimum standards we must live by. The one thing left to us is our moral code. It is also the one thing I believe is under constant attack in society today. Adherence to a moral code is a personal choice although able to be influenced by social pressures. The trend in society today is to remove that pressure entirely. The removal of the code altogether. Like children left undisciplined we are becoming spoiled. You hear the experts say, they are acting out. Looks to me like our society in general is acting out. Could it be lack of a code ?
John Wayne was an actor. That is not even his real name. His job was to entertain us with his portrayal of characters. He was a character all his own. He did say a mouthful when he said , " A man has to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job. " Something to think about. Just what is your code ? More importantly perhaps are these questions. Just who is in charge of code enforcement ? Just who hands out the justice ? Your code would have to be between you and that entity.
I do not know what context that quote from John Wayne was presented in. Giving that John Wayne is best known for his portrayal of the American cowboy it is easy to think that is the code he was speaking of. The code of the west, we have all heard of that. I think it is the same concept that I have written about, only I call it a set of standards. Standards are something we use to measure ourselves against. I would say a code or creed serves the same purpose. And yes, I believe we all need one no matter our job. In that context a job is not what we do to earn a living, our job is just living our life. I think that is what John Wayne was talking about.
The code of the west. It is a code created by Hollywood. It is well defined and almost all Americans would know basically what it is. Did it exist in actual practice ? Yes, I would say it did. In reality it was a set of standards of behavior. Those particular behaviors were required in order to exist in that environment. They were what was expected. Anything less than those standards were frowned upon. Social pressure dictated compliance. Individuality was embraced but adherence to the code was mandatory. The two things co-existed in harmony. There was a code to get the job done. In that case it was settling a portion of the country where there was little law. The security of calling in reinforcements ( the police ) did not exist.
In today's world we live in a society of law.Our codes,creeds and standards are written down. These are the minimum standards we must live by. The one thing left to us is our moral code. It is also the one thing I believe is under constant attack in society today. Adherence to a moral code is a personal choice although able to be influenced by social pressures. The trend in society today is to remove that pressure entirely. The removal of the code altogether. Like children left undisciplined we are becoming spoiled. You hear the experts say, they are acting out. Looks to me like our society in general is acting out. Could it be lack of a code ?
John Wayne was an actor. That is not even his real name. His job was to entertain us with his portrayal of characters. He was a character all his own. He did say a mouthful when he said , " A man has to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job. " Something to think about. Just what is your code ? More importantly perhaps are these questions. Just who is in charge of code enforcement ? Just who hands out the justice ? Your code would have to be between you and that entity.
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