Reflections On The Amish Lifestyle

Philosophy
The Amish are well-known for simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt modern convenience. They are also very religious, thus they seek to maintain a certain degree of separation from the rest of the world. Every Amish church membership begins with baptism. It is a prerequisite for marriage, as once one has affiliated with the church, he or she could only marry within the faith. The rules of the church, also called "Ordnung" must be observed by every member. These rules include prohibitions or limitations on the uses of modern technologies and regulations on clothing. Amish churchs also will not perform any type of military service. Those who do not abide by these regulations will be exocommunicated and may also be shunned. This shunning limits social contacts to shame the members into returning to church.

Education
The Amish are exempted from state compulsory attendance beyond the eighth grade due to religious principles, the result of a 1972 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Normally, the Amish do not educate their children beyond the eighth grade as they believe that the knowledge that they have acquired till the eighth grade will prepare them for the Amish lifestyle. Almost no Amish go to high schools and colleges. In many communities, the Amish operate their own schools, which are mostly one-room schoolhouses with Amish teachers. These schools provide education in crafts and are eligible for vocational education. They fulfil the nationwide requirement of education through the tenth grade. Very few Amish children go to non-Amish public schools. Some even go to schools that are very far away. In the past, there had been conflicts between the Amish and the outsiders about local schooling. However, most have been resolved, and the Amish are given freedom to educate Amish children.

Work
An Amish family provides each member with a status within the home and within the community. An person is more of a member of a family, rather than an individual. Each member of an Amish family has a position, a responsibility and a job. After ending their formal education upon finishing the eighth grade, the children are trained for their adult tasks. The chores are normally divided by gender. The boys will work with the father in the fields, barn and around the out buildings while the girls work alongside their mother inside the home and garden. Most of the Amish children want to help their parents when they see them working, and be a productive part of the family.

Recreation
Recreation is shared by all members of an Amish family. There are church-outings and family-get-togethers. The Amish can carry out activities during family-get-togethers. Some Amish boys also play sports such as baseball. The Amish children may also raise a barn and make quilts. They carry out the activities with their neighbours to enhance the interaction between them. However, they value simplicity in the activities.

Opinion
In my opinion, the Amish way of life definitely has numerous advantages. Firstly, their restriction on the use of modern technologies has saved the Earth, as they have negative impacts on the environment. For example, the use of cars emit carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide which will gradually destroy the ozone layer. Next, the Amish will not have so much stress as their lifestyles are not as hectic as ours. In the modern society, we rarely have the time to interact with our relatives and friends, whereas the Amish's lifestyle enables them to spend time to socialise with their fellow Amish. The Amish will also have less distractions due to the absence of modern technologies in their lives. Imagine that when an Amish child is doing homework, then the presence of computer distracted him and he eventually succumbed to the temptation!

However, the Amish way of life certainly is not perfect. It has several clear disadvantages as well. The Amish's reluctance to use modern technologies means that they advance slower. People in other parts of the world use modern machinery to do work, but they do it manually. This has certainly reduced their efficiency. It also means that they cannot enjoy the benefits of the advancement in technology. Also, Amish people should not shun members of the church just because they do not follow the regulations. They should given some freedom to choose what they want to do. Shunning is a kind of humiliation for them. I believe that the Amish children do not deserve corporal punishment just because they disobey their parents. They should be counselled, not punished physically. They should be given a chance to turn over a new leaf.

To conclude, I will not lead an Amish lifestyle.