The Man in the Right

Not to long ago I was contacted by one of my blog readers, who has also become a good friend of mine. She informed me that her dad, who had also started reading my blog, was coming to CO for a visit and would like to take me out for a beer and meet me. Her dad, Don, was a gracious man whose face showed the years of service as a lawman on the border. Both his look and his demeanor, not to mention his cowboy hat and boots, reminded me of an old west sheriff. Don had many colorful stories of his adventures as a lawman on a large border town, but I found the following one the most interesting.

Don had been called to this bar late one night, as lawmen often are, to take care of a bit of business with a troublemaker. Business concluded, he was on his way out the door, headed home, when a huge guy in a cowboy hat and boots, blocked his path with his leg. This guy looked at Don with a cold stare and said, “Tonight, I’m going to kick your ass…bad.” Don said that by the look of this man, he knew that he meant it, and he also knew that he could get the job done.

The anger of a prudent man never shows.
Burmese Proverb

The wise conquer by strength, rather than anger.
The malevolent fail by their own rage.

Nagarjuna


Don took another drink of his cold beer, put his hand on my should, and then told me what happened next. He said, Bohdi, I that is as scared as I had ever been during my time as a lawman. This guy meant serious business…to this day, I still don’t know where the words came from, but this is what I told him. I looked him straight in the eye and said…
You may kick my ass tonight, but tomorrow night I will be back with a deputy. And you may be able to kick both of our asses tomorrow night, but if we can’t set things right, I will be back the next night with two more deputies.

We have 465 lawmen in this county, and I will come back as many nights as it takes to make things right. Make no doubt about it, I will set things straight. We will severely kick you ass sooner or later, and then, on top of that, you will be going to jail after it is all over. Don said the man just looked at him and silently, he simply removed his leg and let Don pass.

Then Don told me, you know Bohdi, the Creed of the Texas Ranger is what I believe in, “No man in the wrong can beat a man in the right that just keeps coming.” If you are in the right, sooner or later you will win. Don then took another drink of his beer and asked his beautiful daughter if she would dance with an old cowboy.

No man in the wrong can beat a man
in the right that just keeps coming.

The Creed of the Texas Ranger

Nothing is over until it is completely over; you can’t be defeated until you declare defeat. Defeat is a state of mind. Losing one battle does not equal a lost war. You decide when to declare victory or defeat. Don’t declare victory too soon, and don’t declare defeat at all. Remember the Creed of the Texas Ranger…

Defeat is a state of mind;
no one is ever defeated until

defeat has been accepted as a reality.

Bruce Lee

Bohdi Sanders
Warrior Wisdom

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