This is the question that the general public often asks me.people will talk to me for 30 minutes then look around and ask"but why?"
I mean who trades in electricity, cars,direct tv,and internet access for horse shit,hard work,meager existence, and 3 hour church services on a hard wooden bench?you have to be bloody nuts right?
It doesnt help matters that most amish people you ask dont really know how to explain it.they usually rattle off the old familiar punchlines about "inner peace"and "humbleness"and "tradition". so the only reason you joined the amish church is because the last 16 generations of your family did and you dont want to stick out in the crowd?there HAS to be more to it.
So i have studied on it for years.why would i want to be amish?
I burned through many theories and rubbage trying to understand a complicated situation. And this is the closest thing i can come to a conclusion.the simplicity
Now we have all heard the saying"ignorance is bliss"and had a hearty,scornful chuckle.but this saying is true.if you can view "ignorance"more as "contentment".most amish people dont want to be cool. They dont want to be famous.they just want to die at a ripe old age surrounded by a 150 grandchildren.
Now you can not appreciate this until you have been at the funeral of an old amish patriarch. Immediate family alone will normally be 8&9 kids with around a 100 grandkids and another 30 great grandchildren.all gathered at one spot to the source of it all to lay their role model to rest.there is just something really profound in this and i cant quite put my finger on it.
But i am not a highly religious person so i wont preach to you but i do genuinely believe that the amish lifestyle makes it a lot easier to love nature and be close to God.there is just something about it.
You know how every once in a while you will stop and admire a sunrise or watch a squirrel while walking your dog and you achieve this sense of peace and contentment while doing it?
Now really think into it and compare the two lifestyles then ask yourself,which one really leads to peace and happiness?
Just a thought:)
Machets gute
"The simple life, The good life" ... these are common to many people. I myself was born in a big city of millions and over the years have dreamed of living the good life in simple surroundings. I wound up retiring and living in a community of Amish and English neighbors. The things I like are the slower pace dictated by the four seasons, the natural beauty of the land and all its creatures, and the reservoir of time people are willing to spend talking to each other.
ReplyDeleteI am not a deeply religious person, but my values are based on my early Christian teachings. I respect the religious beliefs of others and admire the Amish for not evangelizing.
Living the slower simple life is a great joy to me and I would recommend that we all take the time to smell the roses.