By Jade Meinzer
Ride your country. It’s a phrase that is familiar in cowboy circles. It refers to the time when you go out on a gather, and you are responsible for gathering a specific portion of the pasture. It also has a deeper meaning. See most people see cowboys and think of them as the people that are portrayed on television. The kind of people that are rough and tough, wild and wooly, and likely pretty brazen and brash. The truth is most of the cowboys I know hold themselves to a higher moral standard. They genuinely care for the animals that they have been tasked with tending. They make sure horses and cattle are tucked away behind windbreaks before a winter storm. They will take the time to saddle their kids’ horses before their own, and though they have been known to spin wild stories, they are the most truthful people that I know.
Riding your country refers more to a person’s character than it does a job of the day. See riding your country means that you take responsibility for your actions, right or wrong. You accept the outcome of those actions, knowing full well that they are a result of your actions. You don’t pass the blame when things get a little dicey, you boldly tell the truth and stand up for those who can’t.
We live in a time where morals, courage, truth and calling out things that are wrong are looked down upon by society. Since we have made issues like politics, religion and mental health taboo topics that can’t be talked about among families at the kitchen table, we have allowed corruption within our own homes about what is right and wrong. I turn on the nightly news or scroll through social media and see nothing but pure hatred and evil. This problem started at home. We as a nation have failed to ride our country. We didn’t ride all the way over the hill and left some strays behind that became wild and undisciplined.
It’s easy to point fingers nowadays. Everyone is looking to blame someone for their problems. Republicans blame Democrats, and vice versa. Nobody wants to look in the mirror and fix minor problems before they turn into big problems. I for one am tired of everyone blaming someone else for every minor inconvenience, and no one doing anything to fix it. Discipline is something that most of us struggle with. Most people struggle with criticism these days. They feel triggered or attacked when someone says something that they don’t agree with. The thing is, sometimes feeling attacked might actually be a feeling of conviction. We will not fix the problems with our society if we react like a cornered bear every time someone says something that we don’t like. The funny thing about telling the truth, no matter the circumstances, is sometimes the truth hurts.
I for one think that it is high time that we all take a page out of the cowboy playbook and ride our country. We all need to hold each other accountable. Let’s bring back things like morals and civil debates instead of screaming matches. Tell the truth to one another instead of what we think is a harmless little white lie. Call each other out when we do something that we know isn’t right. Boldness and accountability are things that should be celebrated. I’ll leave you with one final thought. Ride your country can be phrased another way. Take up your cross daily. That’s all for this time, keep tabs on your side of the barbed wire and God bless.