The Maker's Creed

The founder of the Mandolin Creek Makerspace wrote this contrafactum of the Rifleman's Creed to entertain himself, but the resulting prose seemed worthy of consideration for participants in makerspaces:

These are my tools. There are many like them, but these are mine.

My tools are my best friends. They are my life. I must master them as I must master my life.

Without me, my tools are useless. Without my tools, I am useless. I must work my tools true. I must master my craft better than my competitors who are trying to compete with me in the market place. I must practice my trade better than them before they put me out of business. I will...

My tools and I know that what counts in workmanship is not the materials we select, the roar of our tools, nor the dust we make. We know that it is the final product that counts. We will produce...

My tools are human, even as I, because they are my life. Thus, I will learn them as my siblings. I will learn their weaknesses, their strengths, their parts, their accessories, their appearance, and their functions. I will keep my tools clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...

Before my Maker, I swear this creed. My tools and I are the defenders of my livelihood. We are the masters of our destiny. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until there are no meaningful competitors left, and we achieve market dominance!