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AIBU?

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Original poster

Could you live in an Amish community?

90 replies

hellokittymania · 19/05/2017 00:17

Could you adapt to that way of life after living life with technology and everything else? What do you think would be the hardest part?

I would not like to have to make all of my food and store it like that. I came across this video of an Amish house, and I was really surprised. I don't know what I pictured an Amish house to look like, but I didn't think it would look so modern.

I think I would miss things like running hot water and electricity. And technology.

OP posts:
PossomInAPearTree · 19/05/2017 06:30

There is a Mennonite type community near me. They will use electricity but only useful electrify. So a life support machine is ok, a radio isn't.

Trumpton · 19/05/2017 06:33

I have just read Mennonite in a little black dress about returning to the Mennonite community after a catostrophic year in the author life.
Very thoughtful .

londonrach · 19/05/2017 06:39

Soo what to go back now. Lived for about 2 weeks in that house. They didnt live in our house. Amazing food. A community that helps each other. We were just travellers but our host took us along to one of the young peoples dinners. I did feel the older ladies were lonely on their farms. Seriously did not miss internet etc

MyOtherProfile · 19/05/2017 06:41

Mennonites are quite different from Amish on some ways though aren't they? Much more open to .modern life and outside people. Plus they all speak English which probably helps.

Years ago I spent a bit of time with some Mennonites in Ohio. I also went round an Amish place and spent an evening chatting to an Amish teenage girl about her life. If was really fascinating and in some ways very appealing. She had nothing negative to say about how boys and girls were treated and certainly didn't feel her brothers had it better than her. She loved her community and was very proud of it. The way they all seemed to pull together was very appealing, and so was how unhurried and uncluttered their lives seemed.

onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad · 19/05/2017 06:44

Definitely not. Amish children are expected to do as they are told and have strictly disciplined upbringings with very little proper education.
Where there's sexual abuse it's dealt with within the community usually by church elders - in one horrendous case of systematic sexual abuse of a young Amish girl the perpetrator was excommunicated from the church for 6 weeks and that was it! The victim of his abuse was asked what she did to deserve the abuse and told to forgive him.
Because divorce is not allowed wives of men who have committed sexual abuse have to stay with them or be 'shunned' if they leave.

Definitely not for me.

mathanxiety · 19/05/2017 06:57

I couldn't. It seems all wrong and as a pp said illogical to use a random moment in time as their fixed point.

I can understand the DIY lifestyle, but the strong communal aspect of it would drive me bonkers. I like to read and get away from other people occasionally and I doubt I could do that if putting up pickles or salted pork or making jam was necessary.

It all looks picturesque - the palette is attractive. However, I do not think the people themselves are likely to be much different from anyone else in terms of personality, and add to that the limited education and limited opportunity to read and I don't know if I would find an Amish community congenial.

I used to shop in a discount place that has since closed down. Groups of Mennonites would roll up in vans to shop too since the stuff there was genuinely cheap. None of them looked very healthy, I have to say, and they all seemed a bit cross with each other.

welovepancakes · 19/05/2017 06:58

This book might interest you

www.jodipicoult.com/plain-truth.html

BertieBotts · 19/05/2017 07:04

No the religious stuff and the squashing of abuse would be the hardest part for me and I couldn't cope with it. They beat their children quite routinely, too, and don't consider this abusive. Funny how they never mention this in those cute documentaries though.

I think fear of technology is mostly illogical. If you ever read historical novels people were absolutely enchanted by modern inventions because of the things they made easy or possible.

metalmum15 · 19/05/2017 07:15

LondonRachI've visited those town's in Pennsylvania and their whole way of life fascinated me! I couldn't live like that though, I like my freedom and modern day life far too much, but it's a genuine snapshot of how other people live.

metalmum15 · 19/05/2017 07:15

LondonRachI've visited those town's in Pennsylvania and their whole way of life fascinated me! I couldn't live like that though, I like my freedom and modern day life far too much, but it's a genuine snapshot of how other people live.

GlitterGlue · 19/05/2017 07:21

WellThisIsSHit the community will pay for medical care for any member that needs it. They have access to and use services for chidren with additional needs and view the birth of a child with a disability as an "extra blessing"...something to celebrate. I assume because they feel God has trusted them to care for a more vulnerable child. Though they don't in the main, use modern innovations, I read that a child with cerebral palsy had a state of the art wheelchair...when something modern is considered necassary, they do use it.

Aren't there quite high numbers of children with disabilities due to (for want of a better word) inbreeding?

Mise1978 · 19/05/2017 07:23

I heard from an American there is a lot of incest and abuse. And they have quite a lot of genetic diseases, some unknown, because their close knit communities the people are all related. Would actually ge understandable about the diseases, if that is true.

SoupDragon · 19/05/2017 07:24

I do like the idea of the simple lifestyle, that really appeals.

It's all the other crap like religion and equality etc. I think I could go non-tech for a while although probably not forever.

Perhaps when the children have all left home (we live in South London, I suspect they are never leaving home! :o) I can move out to a cottage I never the middle of nowhere but with super fast broadband...

londonrach · 19/05/2017 07:25

Metalmum...i loved it there. We were just going to stay one or two nights on way somewhere but needed up two weeks. Hired bikes and explored the countryside. All the amish i meet were friendly, happy and curious about our life. We were introduced at the meal as the proper english!

LostSight · 19/05/2017 07:26

Living without technology does appeal to me. I suspect the very physical lifestyle and the lack of time for brooding would probably be good for my mental health.

I don't know enough about the religious aspects to comment.

CricketRuntAndRashers · 19/05/2017 07:30

Meet The Amish is a quite interesting show. Shows what the Amish think when they see how some people in the West live. I did not watch all of it. But it's interesting.

But because of my grandfather (I guess) I have so many preconceived notions (not saying they are wrong, btw...) that my reaction to it is really strong/negative. So, I'm really biased, I guess.

Groovee · 19/05/2017 07:44

Don't think I could but I love following the return to Amish on Sunday nights on TLC

emmyrose2000 · 19/05/2017 07:45

Absolutely not.

It represents many of the things I find absolutely abhorrent in the world -
lack of freedom
religious cult
major sexism
sexual abuse
lack of education (they're only taught up to eighth grade level)

I have visited the area. It's beautiful, but very strange.

wornoutboots · 19/05/2017 07:49

I could... but I wouldn't like it

TestTubeTeen · 19/05/2017 07:50

I couldn't go along with the belief that children must have their 'will broken' from aged 2.

As for Mennonites being somehow 'Amish lite' a whole community in Canada had the children taken into care en masse because of beating them with straps and using cattle prods on them.

LightYears · 19/05/2017 07:52

They have no music Sad.

Auchan · 19/05/2017 07:55

I think I would like it. The peace and quiet and the tranquil life.

I'd take the lifestyle without the religion however as I'm atheist.

londonrach · 19/05/2017 08:14

Auchan...its the religion bit that stops me too. one day when weve money to travel i plan to return and stay in another guest house. Dh and i werent married when we were travelling and stayed there.

metalmum15 · 19/05/2017 08:33

LondonRach I would love to go back one day. We were only there for 3 days as passing through, but crammed in as much as we could.

CainDinglesLeatherJacket · 19/05/2017 08:46

I imagine there are some perks to that way of life - more offline socialising, no one filming events instead of getting involved, no internet addiction, no showing off, and perhaps less computer-related health issues, like poor eyesight or back/shoulder pain.

I think I would try it just to see how much more money you have when you don't spend it on internet, mobile phones, and material items you don't really need.