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The Amish

The Amish are a very strange and odd group of people who live in America. In the 18th century they were travelled from Germany to the USA because in Germany they had many problems with their religion. Most of them live in Lancaster County and everyone owns a farm. They have not a big neihborhood, the neigbours live at least 1 mile away. So people would think that they live all alone with their little family, but they are not really alone. Everyone has a very big family, it is completely ordinary to have 8 to 10 children. The parents found a big family because one time the children have to lead the farm and earn the money. Besides they do not earn enough money by their farms, sometimes it is too expensive, or people are not intrested in buying the products because for them it is easier and faster to go to the supermarket. Or the crop is too low. That is also why the Amish have to go into the next city with their buggies to work, and their children have to look for job too.
I think the life as an Amish child is not easy. They go to school for just eight years and all courses are in one room, very unusual. After these eight years they have to help with the farm, they have to work ad later they have to lead the farm. Perhaps some childran do not like this way of living, but they do it all for their parents. On the one hand it seems to me that this cannot be the right way to live. There are a lot of rules they have to observe. They do not have any electicityat home, that means: no television, no radio, no car, no machines, no telephone, no computer and so on. That must be a very hard life. Moreover they have to wear old-fashioned clothes, dark dress, whit caps, no make up, and all men must have a beard.
They live in a modern world without any technology.
And if they do not observe these rules they were banned by the church. And if they are banned by the church they have no assurance any more, they have a completely new lifestyle, they visit another church and if they need any help from the Amish they won’t get help, because the Amish are not allowed to help them.
I do not think that I could live in a world like this. I could not live without technology and with these strict people. But it seems to me that (most of) the Amsih are satisfied with their life, they do not really know the modern world, so they could not miss a modern world.
Everyone should live his way of life.
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