I am fascinated by the Amish culture. When I was in college, I did my largest research paper on the religious, family and community dynamics of the Amish.
We arrived in Elkhart, Indiana and immediately started seeing Amish families and horse drawn carriages. Children playing with horses or playing baseball outside.
Elkhart has the largest Amish population in the state and 3rd largest in the country with about 20,000 individuals.
Then the next head scratcher was that every other beautiful home and farm had solar panels. Seemed so odd to me - so I started asking questions and learned that the Amish don’t believe electricity is bad; they believe having access to it will create temptation that can lead to television and other electrical luxuries that could hurt their values.
Their culture values hard work and while they may appreciate appliances and tools that can make their jobs easier, the general consensus in their community is that reliance on the electric grid will make them dependent on the “English”. It will compromise their children’s work ethic and could lead to a tarnished version of their way of life over generations. With solar, they feel there less risk of mainstream culture. They also feel it is safer than oil or gas power in the home.
We did see several women out mowing with gas lawnmowers. We saw a team of horses working a farm and then a young Amish mother loading up her car. Large gaps between progressive and conservative.
The majority of Amish household heads here find employment in the local recreational vehicle industry.
Most RV companies are headquartered in the area, and employ a heavily Amish workforce.
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