I agree. I am 17 years old, and I think that being a cowboy is a way of life. And I find it annoying as heck when people buy Arait boots and a hat. Yeah..you have money. Great..city kid! Now how about you get dirty and work outside? But wait..can't do that. Sorry to rant there. Yes it can also be an occupation, but when your a cowboy you have a reputation; either of being a gentlemen around women and other people. When your a cowboy, you work hard to make ends meet, you bring your family honor in whatever you do, you try your best to provide ends meet for your family. We (well are supposed to, sadly not all do) help out a friend, when we are in town to buy grocery's we hold the door open for the mom with 3 little kids or older people. We should treat our animals like a blessing, and take care of them, because they help us out. We should help out our fellow neighbors because it is what God wants us to do, and morally right. We should treat every human like an equal because it is the right thing to do. Oh, and sorry this is out of order...but we should value the Earth because God made it, and and enjoy everything on it because it has beauty in it (whether or not we can see it).

I have to agree with you that being a Cowboy is a way of life and not the way you dress. Besides Ariat boots are made in China...Rios of Mercedes are my boot of choice and my hat is made by me.

I believe that a cowboy is a man of his word and signs a deal with a hand shake. He is honest, hard working, moral and makes the right choices in the face of adversity. He treats women with respect and dignity. He treats his neighbor as he would like to be treated and is willing to give the shirt off his back to help his neighbor. He is keen on conservation also.