5 Things I Didn't Know About Being Amish

{Conversation Partner Reflection 3}

To be honest, I never really know what to expect when I plan to meet with my conversation partner, Aitana.  But I was definitely not expecting to learn something new about the Amish people living in the United States.

Our third meeting consisted of her writing a paper and me studying at a table in Union Grounds.  I was glad for the time to study and after the casual pleasantries where we asked how each other was doing with school, she looked at me and asked if I knew what “Rumspringa” was.  I didn’t.  In fact, I was quite confused and thought maybe I had misunderstood her.  She then asked if I knew anything about the Amish community.  As part of her assignment, she was writing an essay exploring the Amish culture.  Unfortunately, my knowledge of the Amish people is limited.  I knew nothing beyond their shunning of technology and simple lifestyles that keep them stuck in the times of the horse and buggy.

There is so much more to being Amish that Aitana shed some light on.

1. Rumspringa, which means “running around,” is the time when the youth of the Amish community start to experience a little independence and socialize with friends on the weekends.  It begins at age 16 and usually ends at 18 or 21 with marriage.  During this potentially life-changing time frame, the Amish young adults are face with the decision of either getting baptized and joining the church or leaving the community to enter the modern world.

2. They pay taxes.  Specifically, they pay income, property, sales, estate, corporate, and school taxes, but they are exempt from Social Security due to an agreement with Congress in 1965.  Instead of receiving Social Security, they believe church members should care for one another.  They are also exempt from military service because of their belief in non-resistance.  They don’t believe in war, law-enforcement, politics, and legal actions.  Which all sounds like something out of fictional utopian young adult novel.

3. Technology is not evil.  However, they fear that modern technology would introduce foreign values into their culture.  Horse-and-buggy transportation simply keeps them anchored to their homes, which are concentrated mostly in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.  Texas has an Amish community with a population of about 50 people.

4. The Amish first arrived in America to escape religious persecution in Europe in early 18^th century.  The sect originated from the followers of Jakob Amman who believed that they should “forsake the world” in their daily lives.  The word Amish comes from his name.

5. They speak a different language.  This is a major aspect of Amish life that I was completely ignorant of.  They speak a dialect of German that has been influenced by the surrounding English populations.  So if the horse-and-buggy, bonnets, or straw hats don’t give it away, the language they speak just might.

There is something beautiful in simplicity.  In abandoning life as you know it, its complexities and its complications and picking up your farming tools.  I admire the Amish conviction to lead simple lives, which are probably more complex than I imagine.  But I can’t help but defend technology despite its faults.  It allows me to instantly connect with friends and family who I would otherwise never hear from.  It allows me to hold onto memories and reflect with pictures of the past.  Not that there are any other kinds of pictures.  Technology also allows me to discover new things on the Internet.  Google in itself is a miracle.  Not to mention Netflix.  So while I think simplicity and removing yourself from the world is an amazing feat, I also think we have significantly grown as a culture because of the advances in technology.

It’s so interesting to learn about foreign cultures, especially one that resides within the United States.  I find it fascinating to look up pictures of Amish people and seeing them perfectly clear and in full color because they look like they should in black and white.  It’s like if someone invented a time machine and took a snapshot of 18^th century farmers.  I enjoy learning about different ways of life, and I am so glad I have a conversation partner who is also able to give me glimpses into not only her culture but also one that is right here in America.