cowboy

It is often said that the cowboy is the archetype of the American hero: rugged, self-sufficient, and autonomous. In recent years, this archetype has been reinvented in my imagination. The more I have seen how American individualism breeds a myopic self-interest which, in turn, begets a mindless fear of the other (for the other is alien and unknown), the more I have begun to imagine the cowboy as a symbol of the paramount importance of the individual's connection to the land. In reality, the Great Plains are a great desert, and survival upon them requires an instinctive awareness of their offerings and limitations. It necessitates parsimonious living, for overgrazing destroys one's livelihood and thus threatens one's existence. In short, the cowboy, for me, has become the champion of simplicity and sustainability.

Jake Johnson was a cattle man. He worked hard and earned an honest living. You can see in this photograph that the ruggedness of the great American prairie is etched on his character. Jake, my great-grandfather, died a few years before I was born, so I never had the chance to know him. But I have heard about him in the family lore, and I have witnessed the ongoing bounty of his ranch. Through him, the archetype has entered into my bloodstream. Perhaps someday, in a future past, I will look back and celebrate my part in this legacy.