It is not easy to maintain a 300 year old tradition in modern America but Amish Community has proved it that if you believe in nature nothing is impossible. Yes I am talking about the great Amish Community of America. They live in the remote regions of North America. They love nature and try to remain as close as possible to her. Just like few of us in phursatgunj they also hate all modern technologies and as far as possible avoid to use modern gadgets. They don’t use motor car or telephone for their conveyance or communication purposes. And they are most famous for that only. After 1760 they migrated to Lancaster-Pennsylvania in America from Europe (northern parts of Germany) and settled there. They follow Anabaptist beliefs like other sects who arrived with them in America from Europe; they basically are Mennonites and little other similar kind of people. In those days in Europe Anabaptists, whenever found, were severely persecuted, tortured and killed just like old day pagans. So they left Europe and came to America. Jacob Amman become leader of Anabaptist and founded the Amish sect. They follow certain set of rules described as ‘Ordnung”. There are no such written rules and that’s why may be they follow it with total faith. Here is a glimpse of their lifestyle: They never use motor car, horse-buggy is only mode of transport they use and encourage their children to walk as much as possible. They don’t use electricity and modern electric equipments. They just use oil lamps or gas lamps for their luminance purposes at night. They don’t send their children to schools, they have their own schools where children learn German, English, History, Math and all other subjects but at free will. They are farmers and they basically dress like farmers only in all circumstances. They don’t use tractors to plough but only horses are allowed. They don’t have any churches and they pray at their houses turn by turn. They use it for the purpose of social gathering also. Only thing I don’t like about them is that they say marriage is lord’s command and they always invariably get married between the age of 22 and 25. I don’t think anything divine is anyhow directly related with the system of marriage. |