Before Watching Part One…

There is one thing all men agree on about the film Lonesome Dove: Watching it makes you feel good.

Why? On the surface, it’s just a movie…but somehow this movie connects to men’s souls, and as we watch it we feel good about what we’re seeing. Why?
I believe it’s because we’re proud of the men we see on screen. We’re proud that men like those in the Hat Creek Cattle Company once walked the earth, and cut out of the Wild West the largest part of our great nation. These were men who lived and died like men… they took responsibility for their own lives, and neither the government nor an army of bottom-feeding TV lawyers was around to “take care of them.”

In the days of Lonesome Dove, a man had to answer for his actions. Say the wrong thing to the wrong man, you might end up battered and bruised. On that same line, if someone did you wrong, it was up to you to set things right. The rights of an individual were sacred, provided you were willing to defend them.

Step one in using this book is quite simple: Watch Part One of Lonesome Dove. After watching it, read the next section, which discusses some of the life lessons played out on screen.

The only commentary I’ll make before you begin watching is on the issue of simplicity. This is an extraordinarily important theme in the film, as simplicity is the invisible “thing” that men connect to as soon as the first scene begins.

As a young man, this feel- or desire- for simplicity is a bit confusing, because there’s nothing a young man wants more than “stuff.” Video games, a cool bike, cool clothes, toys of all sorts… then later a cool car, a cool apartment with cool furniture It’s a deep-seeded desire to have the things that other people look at, and say, “Check that guy out…that’s one cool cat.” This phenomenon is known as materialism, and it will ruin your life before your life has a chance to get started.

You see, Nephews, here’s the thing: Buying stuff costs money…and the older you get, the more stuff costs. And it’s not uncommon for a young man in his twenties to have a very cool car with a stereo that will vibrate the wheels, an apartment full of brand new furniture, a massive home entertainment center, a full set of appliances, maybe even a payment on a boat. And it never occurs to this young man that practically every penny he earns for the next 10 years will go to paying for these items.

Sure, he can afford them… because he foolishly bought them based on how much the “monthly payments” are… but he doesn’t see clearly that he doesn’t own this stuff…the stuff owns him.

Now look at Gus, Captain Call, and the other men in the Hat Creek Cattle Company… what is it about them that makes them so cool? Why do you and I look at them and say, “Now there’s a guy I want to be like?”

Now that I’m older and a little wiser, I can tell you it’s their simplicity.

They aren’t wearing expensive clothes with logos, or $150 basketball shoes, or double-breasted suits. They aren’t lounging around in a huge home, full of fancy furniture and computers and video technology. They don’t have a Hummer or a Porsche parked in the driveway.

And, yet, there is something about them that is admirable and, well, very cool.

Trust me, it is simplicity. They have what they need- functional clothes and boots, guns to defend themselves, horses for transportation, and chairs to sit on. And that’s about it.

With simplicity comes “peace of mind,” which is a fancy way of saying that you aren’t worrying all the time about the money you owe for your stuff…or if your stuff is going to break…or if your stuff is outdated by something new.

So start asking yourself now, as a young man, about the material possessions in your life… do I want this, or do I need this. I know when I was your age I used to whine to my parents that I needed the name-brand clothes and the latest shoes and the cool bike. I didn’t care what they cost, because I thought those things were what made me popular. Now, as a grown man, I understand…if all I’d ever worn were blue jeans and white t-shirts, I would have had the same friends, because real friends look at what’s inside. And who cares what anyone else thinks?

Watch and absorb the simplicity of these men’s lives during Part One. If you like what you see, try to make simplicity part of your life starting now.

So, here comes the easy part of using this book: Put it down, and grab some refreshments, and watch Part One (What sort of refreshments you grab will depend on how old you are.)