Every so often, I get the urge to read a western novel. This started when I was a youngster reading Zane Grey’s novels like “Riders of the Purple Sage”. Over the years, I have read many other westerns by a variety of authors. Many of the plots are interchangeable and rely on standardized stereotypes. The bad guys are clear and obvious. There is the gunfight, the unexpected romance. Some of that has changed through the years. Older westerns seemed always to have a resolution and even a happy ending. Modern westerns can be a bit more raw and the ending may not be very positive. Perhaps this reflects some of the confusion of modern life. In our world the villains do not wear black hats to contrast the white hats of the good guys. It is more difficult to identify who is who. Easy solutions and happy endings often seem to be in short supply. However, now as always it is their actions, moral and immoral, that best show us who are the good and who are not. It is still difficult to figure out. Probably it always has been and the standard western was more optimistic than realistic. Still in the end as Jesus said, “By their fruit you shall know them.” Still good guidance even in our confusing world.