I Believe …

By Taffy

I believe ...

… that to have a friend, a man must be one.

This goes for Buppies too!  That’s why I always try especially hard to possess and express the qualities of a friend!  “A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” - Arnold Glasow

and

“A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.” - William Arthur Ward

… that all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world.

Enough said!  “Just smile at someone, pat a dog, hug your spouse, help a neighbor, help a stranger, get involved in something worthwhile, but remember, EVERY DAY, you need to share a laugh with a friend!!!  You can make a difference - START NOW!!!!!!!!” - Dad

… that God put the firewood there, but that every man must gather and light it himself.

WOW!  This one is really deep!  “Knowledge can be communicated, but wisdom cannot.  A man can find it, he can live it, he can be filled and sustained by it, but he cannot utter or teach it.” - Hermann Hesse

and

“Depend not on another, but lean instead on thyself ... True happiness is born of self-reliance.” - The laws of Manu

… in being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for what is right.

The world is NOT an easy place!  “The scientific name for an animal that doesn't either run from or fight its enemies is lunch.” - Michael Friedman

… that a man should make the most of what equipment he has.

And what you have between your ears is the BEST equipment that there is!  “Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one's own person is its ultimate reward.” - Patricia Sampson

… that 'this government of the people, by the people, and for the people' shall live always.

But – we ALL have to be engaged and involved!  “A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in a national election.” - Bill Vaughan

… that men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number.

It is tough though!  “The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels.  For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.” - H. L. Mencken

… that sooner or later ... somewhere ... somehow ... we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken.

I’m thinking that if you follow these suggestions – your tally will come out ok!  “There is no duty more obligatory than the repayment of kindness.” - Cicero

… that all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever.

This is true … but … “When the messenger arrives and says 'Don't shoot the messenger,' it's a good idea to be prepared to shoot the messenger, just in case.” - Howard Tayler

… in my Creator, my country, my fellow man.

Amen.  “Faith is, at one and the same time, absolutely necessary and altogether impossible.” - Stanislaw Lem

Well, if you didn’t know already, the basis for this article is based on the Lone Ranger Creed!

“With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early west.  Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.  The Lone Ranger rides again!”

Yes, “those thrilling days of yesteryear,” while not a perfect era, still had an understanding of moral right and wrong.  I am thinking that we might all be better if we went back to those days of yesteryear!!!!

I’d like to close out with this little prayer that I’d like to say that I came up with … but, I didn’t – so I won’t.  It’s credited as Roy Rogers Prayer:

.

Lord, I reckon I'm not much just by myself,
I fail to do a lot of things I ought to do.
But Lord, when trails are steep and passes high,
Help me ride it straight the whole way through.

And when in the falling dusk I get that final call,
I do not care how many flowers they send,
Above all else, the happiest trail would be
For YOU to say to me, "Let's ride, My Friend"
AMEN

Love to All!

Taffy