Is The Amish Farming Lifestyle Rewarding Or Just Out Of Touch?
How much satisfaction does one get from flying (in excess of the speed limit in your vehicle) to the office in the morning at the same time you're checking your e-mail, finishing your bagel while drinking your cup
of coffee while you're returning the phone call messages from the end of your day yesterday?
In comparison, imagine your day on an Amish farm, starting out as dawn begins to break on the horizon, you hear the birds begin to chirp softly as you hear faint whispers in the grass from little animals scurring out of your site. You smell and feel the morning freshness in the air as you pull in a lungful of fresh air, realizing and appreciating the beauty around you in all of it's perfection. No loud music blaring, no pagers beeping or phones ringing,
but just you and nature as you head out past the barn to bring in the liverstock to start the morning chores. You think about the home cooked breakfast waiting for you, baked from your own recipes, from scratch, in your own kitchen.
That would be the differance between your corporate ladder climbing ambitions (trying to impress people that don't even know you) and beginning your day with nature and all the serenity it brings to one's soul. Whether you understand the choice of someone who desires to live the Amish faith or not, you have to respect the pace of life and tranquility they experience. Would it make sense, then, that this lifestyle would allow someone to have more peace in their life and be able to show more love to those around them due to the less threatening enviroment?
A large percentage of the Amish communites in Ohio and Pennsylvania still operate family farms. Not only do they operate the farmland, but they grow and produce almost all of their own food products that include all of the food groups. This means even less scurring around to have to run into town to go shopping. Also, most of their clothes are made in the home by the mothers, and the skills are passed on to their daughters for generations to come. The fathers teach their sons the process of operating the farm to produce healthy
crops in a manner of profitability. Some Amish farmers have begun to use a method called rotational grazing. This allows the livestock to graze longer in season and requires less hay harvesting for the farmer. This also allows for less spraying, fertilizing and seeding which is more eco friendly andprovides for better quality organic food production. By choosing to farm, the Amish communities are making a commitment to a way of life that fosters family unity, keeping the family together which provides greater
stability for all in the community.
