The craziness of life in the United States now and for the next four years has led me to a decision to be a semi-Amish person during this time. I say semi because I will keep some of the non-Amish ways of life that I have now while I adapt many of the Amish life-style ways. There are reasons for both.
I do rely on electricity, gasoline-powered vehicles and tools, and I use the internet to do my work. So I will keep those. I will also do basic shopping such as the grocery store, dollar stores, and Co-op – for the most part in the town closest to where I live. I will continue to go to the church of my choice and I will interact with the people whom I interact with now. These are core parts of my life and valuable to me without causing negative impact.
The Amish people have been in the United States since the 1600s and have stuck to their ways apart from the worldly progress since that time. They are healthier, wealthier, and happier, than most of the rest of us. I desire to distance myself from the craziness of my current world so that I can also be healthier, wealthier, and happier. I see how stressed-out many people are who consume television and social media 24/7.
Some of the Amish ways that I am choosing to adopt are to avoid “news” and technology media as much as possible. News is typically fake and technology media has become bullying and discriminatory. Television and social media have become addictions – we can do without them if we choose to. If we don’t do Facebook, we will never go to Facebook jail.
An Amish belief that might serve us well now is more separation from the world in ways I have described above to avoid being polluted by the negative impact of the world. The other belief that could really be helpful is to embrace separation of church and state. The Amish believe in granting primary authority to the church and reject any civilian authority that contradicts it, such as not accepting any public funds. Think of all the strings that are tied to acceptance of public funds.
Am I burying my head in the sand? Yes, and like the ostrich, I hope to avoid two-legged predators. I also believe that often ignorance is bliss. The Amish people have done well for centuries ignoring the crazy world they live in. I think I will try to do the same.
