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I think you misunderstand Amish philosophy. Contrary to popular belief, the Amish did not decide one day in the 18th century that technology had gone “far enoug
by chongli 5y ago
I think you misunderstand Amish philosophy. Contrary to popular belief, the Amish did not decide one day in the 18th century that technology had gone “far enough” and that they were going to freeze in time, their way of life at that moment, forever.
Instead, they saw the way changing technology began to accelerate the pace of life in society around them. In response, they adopted a philosophy to preserve what they believed were the most important things in life.
Accordingly, their philosophy is based on one simple rule: they will not adopt any technology they deem a threat to the time they spend with family and with God. Look at any “modern” family, with teenagers staring at their phones instead of talking to each other at the dinner table, and it’s easy to see that the Amish may be on to something. It’s not the phones that are the problem, really. In the past it was people looking at the newspaper or anything else like that. The two most important things in an Amish person’s life is their relationship with God and their relationship with family.
I live in an area (southern Ontario) with lots of old order Mennonites who are related to the Amish. They practice a very similar way of life. They do not shun technology arbitrarily. Almost every time I’ve been to the hospital, for example, I’ve seen them there getting care for a family member. They do not reject modern medicine because it does not conflict with their beliefs. They know that doctors can treat their family members and provide a better outcome than what they can provide at home, so they have no problem seeking out medical care.
They also have no problem using the Internet to advertise their businesses. Many of them produce traditional goods such as preserves, maple syrup, dairy products, sausages, blankets, hand made furniture, and even metalwork which is all very high quality and in demand among non-Mennonite people in the area. They are perfectly happy to build websites (or to contract that out) so that people can find their stuff and order it.
If you want to see how appealing the Amish lifestyle is, look no further than the popularity of Stardew Valley. That game perfectly captures the spirit of Amish philosophy: pervasive technology can leave us all slaves, chained to our desks. A simple, agrarian way of life, focused on relationships, is the key to setting us free.
- zemvpferreira 5y agoThis is a lovely explanation, thank you. I'm ignorant about the Amish save for what I've absorbed from the culture, but now I feel a little closer to understanding them. I wouldn't make the exact same decisions but the appeal is clear (and I admire the resolution).
- chongli 5y agoSome other interesting things about the Amish: Perhaps also contrary to popular belief is that the Amish drink alcohol and love to celebrate with their friends and family. They do not have any specific prohibition against getting drunk. They also have one convenient technology the rest of us still dream of: self-driving “cars.” After a night of merriment they need to get home safely but that’s no problem at all because the horse knows the way home! They simply climb in their buggy and let the horse take them back, so they can tuck in bed and rest up for another day of work the next morning!
- ksaj 5y agoIt's still illegal for them to drive their buggies while intoxicated. Same for bicycles, motorized wheelchairs, etc. But you are right - it's still safer for them to get home with the horse knowing well enough to not run into the ditch.
- hermannj314 5y agoThose laws vary by jurisdiction and the world is a big place. Some states only prohibit intoxicated operation of motorized vehicles and it is perfectly legal to operate a bicycle or carriage while drunk.
- watt 5y agoIt is only illegal if somebody makes it illegal: in a democracy the population themselves make the rules.
- garrickvanburen 5y agoI've recently heard, that while many Amish communities didn't adopt the telephone, they have adopted the mobile phone - "because it can be turned off."
- ksaj 5y agoThat might be a generalization. Some Amish families also allow their teens to buy gasoline powered cars. I'm sure they come up with a handy excuse for it, but the real reason is it keeps the family together.
- garrickvanburen 5y agoI like to consider things like that as the community mechanism for how new things/tech/tools are introduced to the community.
- ksaj 5y agoI used to live in Tillsonburg, so we were near-neighbours. One thing also about the Amish is that they refuse to rely on things that can break down outside their control, and leave them helpless. The issue, for example, with gasoline is that if it runs out, you have a bunch of useless tools that only someone else (the gas people) can make work again. In that sense, I haven't heard of Amish having issues with solar power (I could be wrong, though), so it just may soon be their time to shine.