Today’s post isn’t the first time I’ve quoted John Bernard “J.B.” Books on Ubi Libertas Blog. I suspect it won’t be the last.
The older I get, the more the words of Books — the hard-bitten protagonist played by John Wayne in The Shootist — resonate within me. Released in July of 1976, this would be Wayne’s last movie.
Duke was 68 years old, just weeks shy of 69 when filming wrapped. That’s exactly the age I am now.
J.B. Books was tough. He knew who he was, and he accepted the man that a lifetime of choices had wrought. He offered no apologies and gave no quarter.
He lived by a simple code:
“I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.”
We also discovered that when confronting terminal illness and the one adversary none of us can defeat, Books was “a dying man, scared of the dark.” It was a rare glimpse past an aging gunfighter’s steeled exterior into the frailty afflicting us all.
Quotable as J.B. Books is throughout the film, I keep coming back to how he answered young Gillom’s question, “How could you get into so many fights and always come out on top?” This is what he said:
“It isn’t always being fast or even accurate that counts. It’s being willing. I found out early that most men, regardless of cause or need, aren’t willing. They blink an eye or draw a breath before they pull the trigger. I won’t.”
If there’s a better metaphor for what distinguishes some people from others, better from lesser, I can’t imagine what it’d be. I’ve incorporated the principle of willingness into my life. To the extent that my flawed nature allows, I apply it to every challenge I face.
As we learned in the movie’s final, climactic scene, J.B. Books was indeed willing.
It’s been 50 years since The Shootist hit American theaters. The movie entertained me then. It means something very different to me now.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable