Why Was Killing the Normal?

You ever watch or read a western where a guy looks at another guy wrong and before you know it one of them’s dead? Or a guy rides into town and his sole mission is to kill as many men as he can or kill the fastest gunslinger in town? Why? Why is this normal? Just why exactly was killing as normal as waking up in the morning? I mean sure, people are killed everyday but back in the Wild West days it was just unnatural and a bit odd and unsettling if you really sit down, look back and think about it. Just because a guy looked at you wrong, you shoot him dead. He eyed your favorite saloon girl, you shoot him dead. He doesn’t drink whiskey, you shoot him dead. His horse is faster and more majestic than yours, you shoot him dead. Tired of these? Okay, the point is simple, killing for the sole sake of killing is inhuman but in the wild west it seems like everyone was easily frazzled and could get upset without any second thought.

The wild west was cool and all and you probably even say “hey I wish I was a part of that time!” but have you ever sat and thought about it like truly thought about it? You think of all the great adventures you could have and all the saloon girls you could get but you probably don’t think of the fact that you wouldn’t get clean everyday and worse you wouldn’t think about how well you could hold up in a fight before you’re shot dead. The truth is you should because killing was the normal and as cool and awesome as it may have looked it was a downright dirty and despicable time and killing back then were as normal as learning your abc’s today. If you could hold your own then that’s great and all but imagine living knowing you could die just for looking at a guy wrong. Then again some people are touchy on social media but this isn’t the same in the slightest.

So why was killing so normal back in the Wild West? Because it just was? Not good enough for me. Because people were easily upset and didn’t take kindly to others? We’re getting warmer. Because back in those days it was all about the times, surroundings, survival and basic instinct? Yup that sounds about right. The wild west was just like any other era, it had certain things that made it what it was. But killing? Yes killing. It was probably no different than people dying in war everyday or the days when people carried around swords instead of pistols and rifles. It’s just a hard thing to think about though that people could just get killed and everybody thought it was normal. A big difference however is when people die in war they likely died for honor in some way, getting decapitated with a sword or gunned down in broad daylight just seems like it would really take some getting used to if one ever could get used to such a thing.

Also imagine watching a guy gun another guy down and then that guy goes into the saloon and orders a whiskey and everyone acts like nothing happened because they don’t want to get killed. That sounds awful to me. I mean sure I would keep my mouth shut and eyes away from the man but the fact that killing is the only thing on that man’s mind or anybody else’s is truly a terrifying thought. I’m not even going to get into the fact that I would have to kill in order to survive back then because while it’s cool to think of getting into a wild west showdown or duel with someone, I don’t know about you but I don’t want to kill anyone and I certainly don’t want them to kill me. But that was the wild west for ya. Survival of the fittest, there can be only one, you looking at me? Whatever way you wish to look at it, it’s simple..the wild west is cool to watch and read about but to be there in a place where killing was normal and getting clean was crazy talk? Count me out partner.