Amish!

Most people look upon the Amish traditions and are startled by the “weirdness” of their lifestyles, but I look upon the Amish lifestyle and am amazed at their commitment and consistency. “The Amish are islands of sanity in a whirlpool of change.” Nancy Sleeth.

Two things that I find most compelling or attractive is that the Amish are big on the act of socialization and also that they are very close with nature and the benefits nature has on their lives. Socialization is a big deal in every community but what is different between the Amish and lets say “Us”, would be that they socialization through personal encounters and every day life. “We” socialize but with cell phones and emails. “We” don’t develop the one on one relationship as much as the Amish people do and that’s what really benefits the people of Amish beliefs. I find their act of socialization very compelling and I respect it greatly. I use to live next door to a couple different Amish families and we would always get together with them and help or be helped. They would bring us food and it was great having them as neighbors. Also, the way the Amish interact with nature is just incredible. The Amish use nature in a lot of areas in their life and they are one with nature. The Amish kids play in nature, grow in nature, and develop through the interaction of nature. I think “we” have grown so far away from nature and the interaction with it. Instead of playing in the fields and getting dirty our generation texts and play video games. This “loss of nature interaction” has and will show later in life, affected our generation. We will be slower transitioning into adult life and will encounter major problems with responsibility. I respect the Amish for their socialization and their interaction with nature.

One element of Amish life that appears wrong but after research, reasonable, to me is the fact that the Amish don’t allow teaching of God in schools. This seemed obscure to me but after reflection I realize that they did this for a reason. The Amish believe that the teachings of God should be taught at home to lessen confusion and to clearly state the family’s beliefs. I definitely agree with that because it causes less confusion in the child without having numerous people explaining religion and maybe having different outlooks on religion. But, I also have a con about this approach. I would just have to guess that there are non Christian Amish families out there and if the parents don’t teach or talk religion at the home, then where will the child receive spiritual guidance? So I’m saying this approach has its pro’s and con’s but the pro’s out weigh the con’s in this situation and I would say it’s a great idea.

One value or practice that I would try to incorporate into my life is the fact that the Amish did not allow the telephone to be close to the home. The reason why I chose this practice was because my phone is a huge part of my life and if I lessened my time on it, then it would benefit my life for sure. My phone is a huge distraction and it would be great to lessen its priority in my life. What I respect the most about the Amish is their separation with most modern technology. The separation with technology provides more time for everyone to grow in other areas and experience more life benefitting experiences. I believe technology is a major problem in “our” society today because it is distracting us all and separating us from many things in life. In my life, I hope to lessen my interaction with most technology and in that, have more time to: spend with friends, do homework, and grow closer in my walk with Christ. "There can be no assumption that today's majority is "right" and the Amish and others like them are "wrong." A way of life that is odd or even erratic but interferes with no rights or interests of others is not to be condemned because it is different.” Warren E. Burger