Most of my adult life was lived in the wild west—Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota. These are places where the cowboy mystique is ubiquitous. John Wayne’s ghost lurks about every historical marker—places where Indians lived and cavalry rode. In 1977, I conducted a funeral for a man who had ridden on horseback all the way from Texas to Montana as part of the crew for one of the last cross-country cattle drives of the old era, circa 1906.
Many western folks are rugged individualists. Just give ‘em a home where the buffalo roam, and leave them alone. I confess that I embraced the romance of the west when I lived there. Yes, I wore a cowboy hat! That is, until it went floating down the Yellowstone River after I slipped on a rock while trout fishing. I have “cowboyed up” by participating in round ups and brandings. I owned a horse for a short time. His name was “Keno”. I even threw a few loops as a team roper just for fun.
The problem with all this is that rugged individualism is a dysfunctional way to live. It requires emotional detachment, repressed feelings, anti-social behaviors, pride and selfishness to be carried out successfully. The lonely cowboy romanticized in the paintings is lonely because he has few friends, is estranged from his family, and would rather be with cows than people.
As a way of life the cowboy mystique is fading into history. The modern replacement for it is suburbia. Just give me a home behind a fence with a well manicured lawn where a machine will answer my phone while I hide in front of my TV. This, too, I have learned is a dysfunctional way to live. And just as the old cowboys are a dying breed, so will the disengaged suburbanite fade into history. We live in an ever more crowded global village and we must learn how to be neighborly. We must become more and more our brothers’ keeper. Those of us who might prefer the good old days are going to have to grow up and get involved. Jesus’ words are becoming crystal clear... love God, love people, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, seek justice for the oppressed, and do good to those who mistreat you. Individualism must yield to community.
