Westerns Make The World A Better Place

One of the problems with American culture is quite simple.  Not enough people read Westerns.  As a genre, it represents a set of virtues for people to emulate.  Over the last century, ideals and principles in society have declined markedly.

The Western influenced a generation of Americans when it was popular on television and in Hollywood.  Children grew up with heroes like Hopalong Cassidy, the Lone Ranger, and Marshal Matt Dillon.  While these may have been fictionalized characters, they still portrayed ideals for growing minds to emulate.

"Westerns... created a model for men who came of age in the twentieth century." – Jane Tompkins, West of Everything

Even in the Revisionist Westerns when the anti-hero became popular, the protagonist still emulated honor and loyalty.

In Unforgiven, Eastwood's character Will Munny is a man who "has killed everything that has walked or crawled at one time or another," yet he is on a quest to bring to justice men who have harmed a woman.  Later in the movie, he seeks vengeance against those who killed his friend.

The protagonist in any Western stood up for his beliefs, no matter what the cost and offered no compromise. Pick up any Western story and you will find virtues that have all but vanished from society. 

The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales by Forrest Carter offers some insight into what many consider to be the Code of the West, although it's improbable that such a code actually existed during the Old West time period.

As a man had no coin, his coin was his word. His loyalty, his bond. To injure one to whom he was obliged was personal; more, it was blasphemy.

How many people nowadays are actually concerned about keeping their word?  How many people actually stand up for their beliefs?  Today, instead of standing up to evil, people look the other way.

There's no such thing as honor, integrity or loyalty in American society.  There is no line that hasn't been crossed.  Honor has become a word that people look up in the dictionary and not a value to be lived by.

Without the Western, there are no heroes for today's culture.  While some celebrities and athletes are fine people, the majority of them are not the best of role models. 

As Louis L'Amour said in his novel Sackett's Land, people need someone to admire.  "A man needs heroes. He needs to believe in strength, nobility, and courage. Otherwise we become sheep to be herded to the slaughterhouse..."

Strength, nobility, and courage are virtues that are exemplified in one only persona, that of the American soldier, and popular media downplays the contributions and sacrifices of the only true hero left to us. 

The problem with today's society can be summarized by a quote from John Wayne.  "A man's got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job." 

With no heroes to emulate and no creed to live by, how long before we become sheep to be herded to the slaughterhouse?

God's Gunslinger - Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow is not a gunslinger of Western lore, but he shares three qualities that just about any man from that time period possessed.

Honor. During the Old West, men lived by a code, whether they were upstanding citizens or outlaws. Tebow lives by a certain moral code. He stands for something and is not afraid to display his beliefs.

Whenever he scores a touchdown or leads his team to victory, he takes a knee and points a finger toward the sky, giving thanks to God. Thanking God for success is nothing new. Athletes have been doing it on the field and musicians who win awards have done it behind the podium. Yet Tebow has been criticized and mocked when he gives thanks to the Lord. Whenever he kneels and prays on the field, it's called "Tebowing."

Loyalty. Any Western hero in inherently loyal to either friends or family or to whatever cause he was pursuing. Cowboys of the time period "rode for the brand."

Tebow is a natural leader who credits his teammates for his success and accepts responsibility when he fails. He doesn't blame his mistakes on others and he gives everything he has to help his team win.

Integrity. In an age when many athletes regularly fail drug tests or are convicted of crimes and are sent to prison, Tebow invests his time off the field in more rewarding pursuits. During his senior year at the University of Florida, he started a powder-puff football tournament and raised $340,000 for charity.

Tim Tebow is an anomaly in the sports world today. He's an athlete that people can admire, not only for his unique skills on the field, but for his ability to never give up.

Football is not a game about X's and O's. It’s a game of heart and soul coupled with the desire to win. That's why teams with great players are often beaten by lesser talented ones. That's why the so-called experts who criticize his throwing motion and say that Tebow won't be a success in the NFL are wrong.

The keys to being a success in any endeavor are the will to win and the perseverance to never quit. People said when Tebow entered the draft that he wouldn't make it in the NFL, yet here he is playing as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

Although he strives to win every time he's on the field, he often says that football is just a game and that God doesn't care who wins or loses. Whether or not you share his beliefs, Tim Tebow is a man that anyone can aspire to be. He's a hero reminiscent of the Old West.

If you're looking for some Old West heroes, read my new short story collection, THE WANTED MAN. It's available for the Amazon Kindle and as a Barnes and Noble NOOK BOOK for just $0.99.

Why I Admire Louis L'Amour

One of the saddest days in my life came when I realized that I had read everything that Louis L'Amour had ever published. It felt akin to losing a loved one or a close friend. For several weeks I brooded, unsure of what to read next. I tried reading other authors and found several good ones, however most of them just didn't measure up.

I found several books with blurbs on the back stating: "If you like Louis L'Amour, then you'll love 'this' writer!" or "This writer is the next Louis L'Amour." I snatched those books off the library shelf only to be sorely disappointed after taking them home and cracking them open.

While some of those authors are excellent writers, their fiction lacks the essential element that separates L'Amour's work from everyone else. In addition to being a great storyteller, L'Amour had a code. He stood for something and his beliefs transferred into his writing.

There are a multitude of quotes from his work. However the one that has stuck with me over the years is this: "The difference between a man and a boy is the willingness to accept responsibility."

As a young man growing up I instilled that line into every aspect of my life until it became the code that I lived by. L'Amour's work often deals with morals and honor and closeness to family. I incorporated all of those virtues into my own personal code.

Although I never met him and didn't begin reading his work until after he passed away, L'Amour became a foster father to me. Someone that I admired and strove to emulate. The men and women that he wrote about became my heroes. I may sound crazy for admitting it, but some of his characters are my best friends.

Then one day, I had an epiphany. If I there weren't any more new L'Amour stories for me to read, I could create my own stories. I started writing and instantly became hooked. I had always loved to read but writing my own stories was a thrill all its own.

A story often told about Louis L'Amour is that once his daughter walked into the room while he was writing. She asked why he was typing so fast. L'Amour replied, "Because I want to see what happens next."

There are a myriad of reasons why writers write, even why I write. However, I began writing simply because I ran out of L'Amour stories. And I have continued because like L'Amour, I want to see what happens next.

I am not the 'next' Louis L'Amour. There was only one L'Amour and there will never be another. If you liked his work, you may or may not like mine. I don't write to be like Louis L'Amour. I write because of Louis L'Amour.

"The Wanted Man" is a collection of eight of my short stories and it is available for the Kindle at Amazon.com. I am working on a version for the Nook through Barnes and Noble as well as a print version that will be published through Createspace. If you have a Kindle or a device with a Kindle app, download The Wanted Man. It's available for just $0.99. Update: It's now available as a Nook Book at Barnes and Noble: The Wanted Man for Nook.