I have no erudite words, no clever political commentary against State aggression. There is no philosophical explication or enlightenment herein. There is only a creed. It is my own, and one other's whom I know. Whether or not it seems part of America's outdated, "rugged individualism" of the 19th century that so many people I meet seem to find passe and old-fashioned, I hold it without apology to anyone. It is symbolic of my freedom.
"I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek opportunity to develop whatever talents God gave me-not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the State look after me." Thus begins Dean Alfange's "Creed," which I have taken for my own. I keep it safely tucked away in my wallet, near me everywhere I go, in order to remind myself of my supreme right as an American. It comes from an odd source, one must admit. Dean Alfange is a nice man, soft-spoken, with a dark moustache and a joyful, hearty laugh. He is part of the "Flying W Wranglers," a Western-style band that performs regularly at the public part of their ranch, one of the few functional ones left today, in Colorado Springs.
On the surface he seems to typify the outdated life of the West. Yet, it is a fitting source indeed, because Dean Alfange is a cowboy. He is a cowboy in the truest sense of the word, both in function and in spirit. Not a hot-headed "maverick," as portrayed in movies today, but a free spirit, who works with his own hands, and lives largely independent of the daily life that most Americans know. I have taken his creed for my own. Understand what my brother and I see around us.
Listen to him. He says, "I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficience nor my dignity for a handout." What is this modern trend I see, this tendency to suckle at the tits of the government as a piglet suckles its mother? I am not helpless. I am not a dumb thing without will or intelligence of my own, as some liberal-minded, self-proclaimed "progressives" want to believe. I will not let myself become a pet of bureaucracy. I cannot and will not allow myself to become a victim. Note to yourself all the victims as they pass. You see them on the streets, going to work; at the gas station, preparing for the commute. What do they gain? Surely not freedom, for liberty is given only to those who will take responsibility for their lives and actions, their mistakes and failures. Independence belongs to those who would risk and dare their whole lives long. It is said, "what profit is it, if a man gains the world and yet loses his soul?" Think you that these victims have freedom? Even if they gain wealth and fame, they will not gain freedom, because they are still slaves to their desires, and to thinking that nothing is their fault. Did they spill coffee in their lap? It is McDonald's fault for making the coffee too hot. Did they injure themselves in an attempt to burglarize a house? Then of course it is certainly not their fault. Sue the homeowner. Look at what victimhood has done to our country. It has twisted our priorities and concerns violently. I will not partake of this cup. "I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat." And again, "It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say-'This with God's help, I have done.'" All this, as Dean Alfange says, all this is what it means to be an American. Listen to him! This is what I choose. I will stand and receive the consequences for my own deeds. A man is only free when he stops expecting another to take the responsibility for his actions.
A famous passage, oft quoted by all kinds of people, and little heeded by any kind, says: "[once] I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I am a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside." I wish mightily that my kindred Americans would have done with this disgraceful malady and return to adulthood, to those principles of men like Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin. Those principles made this country great. There can be no freedom without responsibility to oneself and one's family. I will take my feather up and clash against those "progressives" who would disgrace my brothers and sisters by turning them into blind extensions of the State bureaucracy, who would whittle away at choice and replace it with a government subsidized meal plan. I stand on my own. I am responsible for my mistakes as I am for my successes. I live on my own, and I will think for my own. This is my creed.
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