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.
Several people have written me to provide my definition of the code. Here's a partial list:
* 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.
This 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.
The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next. Henry Ward Beecher
