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The Amish community is like any community.
They have rules just like any other community. They have unique personalities, skills, thoughts, and means of making a living. Some are spotless, some slobs, nice, mean, handy, while other are not. They are a community of people, just like any other community, with many personalities and skills.
The major differences is they appear different from us in dress and lifestyle. Yet you can say that about so many people. One thing that the Amish have kept is their community. You don’t normally see a lone Amish family not near a community. They move and live near other Amish, for community and support. Yes, they can move from one clan or community to another, just like we do.
The information I have about the Amish comes from living near three different communities and shopping in each one of them. In some of the communities, I’ve become more than acquainted with a few beyond just saying hello. I can’t say we are friends, but we have helped each other out from time to time.
Seven surprising things about the Amish you may not know.
- The rules depend on the clan. The head of the clan decides what rules they have for their community.
One of the communities near me allows solar, fuel or gas generator, and batteries for electricity for businesses and some things at the home. Like to charge their cell phone. Yes, this clan allows cell phones. They also allow the members of the clan to drive tractors and equipment as long as they don’t personally own it.
In contrast to the other two communities near me, they do not have any electricity. If they need to call someone, even for business, they go to an English neighbor and use their phone. I have seen and been in a phone house. This is a small building like an outhouse, but has a phone line connected for people in the clan to use. - They have no restrictions on their diet.
Back when our food systems were polluted with poisons, they ate very healthy. No the Amish don’t depend on growing all their food. They buy food from the store or have their own store where they purchase from a distributor.
I shop at these Amish shops, called bulk food stores, for some of our supplies. It’s nice that they can order certain items in bulk for us. I still have to be very mindful of what’s in the food. One of the shops I buy from also gets food from Walmart and Sams Club. They have an English person take them to the store or order online for them and it’s mailed to the store. By having these stores in the community it allows for the community not have to get a driver and drive the 40 plus minutes to Walmart, etc.
The bulk food stores also bring in different herbal remedies, homemade soap, canning supplies, etc. They have butter, cheese, and meat such as pepperoni and ham. No, they do not have refrigerators, but an ice house. It depends on the store, how far away from a regular store, how large their building, and how wealthy the store owner is on what they carry.
I’ve noticed that the community has a high amount of illness and cancer related to food, stomach, and colon. They fail to grasp the changes to our food system and its current poor state. I have some interesting conversations with the shop owners about what ingredients truly mean in the food. They do not understand how the government would allow ingredient in food that is not good for them. The Amish do not have the ability to search online to gain information as they need. Sometimes when I go into the stores, the owners will ask me to find some information for them. - Amish refuse to vaccinate their children, because they don’t believe in medicine until they are ill. They go to the doctors, hospitals, and have surgeries when needed. They don’t have an autism issue. The lady I know didn’t know what autism was when I asked her about it in the community.
They have some diseases that are very specific to the Amish community that are genetic. - The Amish don’t all have tons of kids and sometimes any kids.
The Amish embrace children as a gift from God. That doesn’t mean they all have tons of kid. They don’t use any medical birth control. I know some Amish that have 10 or more kids. While some have two or three. Plus, some families remain childless due to infertility or illness in one spouse or the other.
Also, not all Amish get married. I know several ladies who are in their 50s or older that never got married. When I asked one about it, they said they never found the right man. They run family businesses and have positions in the community. The unwed women I know live with either an elderly parent or a female sibling. - The Amish don’t make everything like you think.
There are some shops like the toy shop that make almost everything. They buy some parts for the toys but mostly they are all made from wood. Other stores, like the variety shop, which reminds me of a five and dime from years gone by, bring things in from different distributors. Many of these items originate from China.
The feed store brings everything in one would need for a farm or homestead. However, they make nothing themselves. - For most purchases, you need cash or checks. The Amish don’t take or use debit/credit cards.
I have never seen any of the clans in our area take or use a debit or credit card. I am not saying there aren’t clans that take debit and credit, just not near me. - The children go to formal school until 8th grade, in their own schools.
The Amish in our area do not use the public schools. They have their own schools. Depending on how far away the school is from the house depends on if the children walk, or their parents hire a driver to pick up the kids and take them to and from school.
The Amish are a group of people just like anyone else. They call the non-Amish, English. They also refer to themselves as Dutch, not Amish speak Pennsylvania Dutch. Which is a dialect of German in our area.
We like doing business with them because they are small businesses, work with us to order items, and are right in our community. Look around and see if you can find an Amish or Mennonite community in your area. Since they are living a lifestyle more similar to you, learning new skills and gaining supplies is very comforting.