Tuesday 17 January 2012

The Old West Versus the New West

The wild frontier of the 1880s is alive in the hearts of many. But unfortunately, it seems to be a dead issue in the hearts of our younger generation. I can understand this because as cities grow and technology races forward, our children are extremely busy trying to keep up with our rapidly advancing world. There is no time to introduce them to the details of the Old West and the advantages of learning about their ancestors who helped found our country. Because they don't know many of the details of the past, they don't have time to muse about life then and now, and compare the differences, both the good and the bad.

I wonder how the children of today would cope in the 1880s, and conversely, what the children of the 1880s would think of today's world. In the Old West there were no cars, no school buses, and the children of that era had no conception of cell phones or electronic games. Life was lived at a different level, but it was an important level for it helped shape our lives of today.

I often wonder what Wyatt Earp (1848-1929) would think of today's world, and what the women of the 1880s would think about our microwave ovens, fast food, and plastic wrap. When the women of olden times cooked a meal, they used heavy iron pans that wouldn't melt in an open flame. This was quite unlike today's world when we can take a slice of pizza or a piece of fried chicken, put it on a paper plate in the microwave oven and have it warmed up to eating temperature in a few seconds.

When we have such greatly advanced technology, why should any of us try to keep the memory of the past alive? Here are some valid reasons:

Much can be learned from the past. We have built on the knowledge of others which allows us to live longer and gives us a better life than our forebears. Where would we be if each generation had to rediscover fire or reinvent the wheel before they could get on with their lives? I doubt if we'd have our computers, cars, airplanes, electronic games, or any of the many wonders that we enjoy today.

People as a whole feel and want the same things in life, whether they lived in the 1880s or live now in our present-day world. All generations experience love and hate, justice and injustice, wars, fights of good against evil, and all desire happiness and prosperity. While emotions and wants are basically the same regardless of which era a generation lives in, ways of life and technologies differ greatly. From the past we learn which types of behaviors and strategies brought strife and poor living to us as a whole, and which types of behaviors and strategies moved us toward better living, and a safer and happier future.

Stories about love, hate, murder, justice, and capturing the bad guys in an Old West setting can be and often are more entertaining, thrilling, and exciting than stories taking place in today's modern world because the stories can be embellished through imagination and the author's understanding of life in the Old West.

If I was much younger, chances are I would think like most of the teenagers of today. But, I grew up in an era, when the Old West was the talk-of-the-day with John Wayne movies, cowboys and Indians games, and western toys. I still think there is a place in today's world for remembering the Old West and all that it brought us and taught us.

Author Bob Turpin continues to research, write about, and love the Old West. Because he is a historian, he has become familiar with the people who lived during the 1880s and 1890s and the way life existed then. His stories about the Old West include a broad perspective and comprehensive picture of life and love in our Western Frontier. For more information about the Old West, visit Mr. Turpin's website at http://www.historicalfictionbybobturpin.com. Read his blog containing Old West tidbits, and enjoy his growing picture galleries.
Histori Calfiction By Bob Turpin

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