City Life vs. Amish Life
Imagine for a moment what life might be like inside an Amish community. Could you do it? Would you be able to last even one day? Would you even want to live that way? Life on an Amish farm is difficult, even for the Amish themselves, but that’s sort of the whole point. To the Amish, life should be difficult. They believe that only through hard work and a devotion to god will they ever be able to enter heaven. With all of the modern conveniences that we have come to enjoy, would it even be possible to go back to that simpler way of life? It seems almost impossible to consider going backwards after all the luxuries we are provided with every day. However, the simpler life does have its appeal and many benefits for even the most pampered city dwellers.
Consider the way we eat. The Amish work the land and know exactly where their food comes from. The Amish are known for using only natural products when it comes to growing crops and rearing livestock. They till their own land, plant their own seeds, and harvest their own crops. There is no fear of chemicals or insecticides being used in these foods because they know they are natural, fresh, and clean because they grew everything themselves. Their livestock are fed all natural diets, raised humanely, and slaughtered with dignity. There is no fear of food contamination because everything is done right there. Food, quite literally, goes from farm to plate.
Now, consider the food you eat in the city. Do you even know where your food comes from? You probably don’t even know what’s in the food you eat most of the time. Chemicals, fillers, and all sorts of preservatives are put into the food you eat in order to keep it fresh for as long as possible. While most city people don’t even think for a moment where their food comes from and spend little time preparing it, we really don’t have a clue what is in our food. Of course, we don’t have to slaughter the cow to get that juicy tasting hamburger, but it is a little frightening to consider what all is in that burger besides beef. If all the restaurants and grocery stores closed today, do you think you could manage to feed yourself tomorrow? Probably not, but the Amish do it every day.
Work on an Amish farm is incredibly difficult. Most Amish families get up way before the sun comes up to start with their morning chores. The animals need to be fed, the family needs to be fed, and household chores need to be completed before the day begins. Amish men then go off to their farm or construction jobs. Because electricity is forbidden, horse drawn tractors are used in the fields and diesel powered generators are used to power tools. Amish women tend to the garden, yard, and house duties. This might include mowing the lawn with a push mower or sewing new clothes for the family using a needle and thread. The children too rush off to school for a full day of learning how to read English, basic math skills, how to plan meals, prepare fields, and drive a buggy. The work day rarely ends before sundown when the evening meal is eaten and the beds are prepared for a good night’s sleep.
The thought of working more than an eight hour day is often considered cruel and unusual punishment for most people in the working city world. If more than eight hours is required, overtime pay is always demanded. While some people are certainly workaholics, most people spend more of their time at rest than they do at work. Meals are often eaten outside of the home and clothes are purchased in a store rather than made by hand. Many people in the city do work with their hands, but they usually have the assistance of electricity to move about in cars, power tools, or other necessary equipment. In the city, men and women work side-by-side and stay-at-home moms are now an exception rather than the norm for most working families. City children go to school just like Amish children do, but after their classes they are usually free to play or do something other than work with their time. Evenings are filled with watching television programs, eating out, going to the movies, or a variety of other pleasurable activities that are often done with friends rather than with families.
What about entertainment? The Amish are busy working the fields, selling their wares, and tending to the home most of the time, but they do manage to have some fun in between all the work. The Amish do not use electricity for any reason during their daily lives. Because of this, entertainment for the Amish does not come in the form of television or video games, but in physical activities, board games, reading, and crafts. Amish children enjoy spending time outdoors riding horses, roller skating, ice skating, and playing team sports such as volleyball. The Amish love to play board games as well, such as Scrabble, Parcheesi, and even Monopoly. In the evening, when all the work and chores are done, Amish women spend their time reading or working on their Amish quilts. The Amish men spend their free time reading or making toys out of wood. The family usually spends its leisure time together as a unit, talking about their day or telling stories.
Non-Amish people have a lot of spare time, whether they live in the city or not, and most of their entertainment requires some type of electricity. Without electricity we would be unable to enjoy television, music, computers, movies, video games, or even talk with our friends on the phone. Most of these items have only been around for a few decades, yet it’s hard to imagine what life was like without them. While city folks could easily engage in a game of Scrabble or sit down with a good book or even learn how to make an Amish quilt for a few days, it would be difficult to get used to those simpler ways of spending leisure time without being able to check emails or listen to I-Pods.
In the end, life in an Amish community is definitely more difficult than life in the city. While the benefits include fresher food, cleaner air, and a simpler way of life, it can also be a hard, tiresome, monotonous life for those who have not been raised in that way. So, which life is better, the Amish or the city? While this question cannot really be answered it certainly is interesting to consider life on the other side.
