Sunday, June 14, 2020

On Amish People

When I came to this country, I didn't have much money to take airplane rides. For my residency interviews, I relied far large and wide on cheaper Grayhound buses. First time I saw Amish people at Cleaveland bus station. At first glance what impressed me is the calmness on their face after their attire, beard, and hanging too close with each other. Over the years, I grew huge respect for them and their lifestyle. Later in life, while driving through Pennsylvania rural roads, I certainly enjoyed the positive vibrations of their farmlands.

This is the first time I read this comprehensive review on them. You may like it (and beautiful pictures).

https://mydailymagazine.com/facts-that-can-change-the-way-you/50/

"The Amish people treat Demut – humility – and Gelassenheit – calmness, composure, placidity – as important qualities. They strive to stay humble and calm, rejecting what they call Hochmut, which translates to pride, arrogance or haughtiness. With their simpler and more modest ways of life, they shun modern technologies including cameras. They also don’t paint. So when a loved one passes away, they don’t have any way to visually remember them but only through their actual memory."




5 comments:

mehnaz said...

Nostalgic!
My favorite place in Amreeka, Lancaster!

bsc said...

I dont understand them
Why are they against machinery or modern advancements
I have lived in a Panjabi village where there was no electricity no running water no motors cars etc only transport was horse or donkey and as a child I enjoyed in the brown dirty water collection called chhappaR along with other kids and animals
etc etc and we were calm as well as not calm but thanked Allah taala for what He had given us
I remember when my older brother brought a battery radio for my father to listen to news You want me to tell you more?

mystic-soul said...

They believe, in long run, technology takes away the communal mentality and individualized society. But it's changing. I see more Amish people seeking new medical treatments.

mystic-soul said...

Mehnaz: Yaap, Lancaster reminds me of TV show 'Little House on the Prairie'

bsc said...

The first part is correct communal mentality has suffered so much already It hardly exists now