I've had a similar experience, but rather than a religion they've turned to homesteading and 'near-Amish' living-behavior.
It's kind of fascinating to me; it feels like another fork one can take in response to burnout -- something I know they all ran into at one point or another.
Some years ago I met a fellow that was former Amish, still lived extremely simple and dressed almost the same. He left because he got the engine bug, ended up becoming a diesel mechanic and pursuing proper degrees in diesel tech/diesel mechanics, was just purely fascinated by machinery. Interesting guy.
That's a really interesting concept. When I think about the Amish, I consider how their religion greatly influences their way of life. I wonder if removing the religious aspect and substituting it with a political ideology, or something else could yield similar outcomes.
Very interesting...I feel like I understand the Amish culture and mindset a lot better. I can respect their views a lot more now that I know where they're coming from.
Aka the Amish, or even Mennonites. I spend a good deal of time in close proximity to these communities and they seem to mix old world / close-to-earth living (horse and buggy etc.) with new world-tech (solar/wind electricity generation). Each community has their own "rules" but it seems to be close to what you're describing (maybe minus all the religious stuff) I do see them at Wal-Mart ... so there's that.
I appreciate you for relating your experience. It's not ambition or challenge that is lacking, we are what's commonly called 'Amish'. This is just how we do things.
I'm sure this creates more questions than it answers, however, I hope it lends some context as to how we've both arrived at our own respective happy milieus.
Sometimes I think about the Amish lifestyle and I'm drawn to it. No doubt the reality of hard work would soon hit me in the face if I ever tried it. Still working our doors and living the simple life certainly sounds freeing.
I say this as I take a short break from coding on the weekend and thinking about how I could automate folding the washing with a homemade robot. So maybe it's not for me...
In times of frustration with the modern Internet, I've often sympathized with the Amish.
For those unfamiliar, the Amish are a religious-society that avoid the conveniences of modern technology. They live in houses without electricity, and travel by in horse and buggy. It's sort of like they hit a point in history and saw where the world was going and decided, "nah, we're ok, we like how things are now."
When frustrated, I imagine a new-Amish. A secular society, who lives their lives (mostly) off the Internet. I'm not exactly sure what that would entail, nor do I think I'd actually want to live that way. It's just a fun thought experiment.
It's a lot of local councils making judgements individually on an case by case basis. The rules can vary quite a lot depending on the individuals involved.
It's also important to remember that most Amish didn't choose that lifestyle, they were born into it. And while it is possible to leave at any time, it is pretty difficult to adjust to a radically different lifestyle with little support on the outside. So instead you see stuff like air powered blenders where people work loopholes so they can lead a more comfortable life while not having to go to extremes.
This is the major difference between the Amish and for example Monks. In the latter case they chose that lifestyle and find it fulfilling in itself. They weren't forced into it.
If they act differently then they are by definition no longer Amish. They have a very strict interpretation of their religion that depends on wider society to preserve their independence. That’s the point!
> This is a religious based commune that fell apart in about a decade
They didn't fall apart, exactly. They're still living as Amish and they're moving to be closer to their families:
> “We wanted there to be an Amish community here, but seems like everybody Amish is more from Ohio or Pennsylvania, where there are more trees,” Rudy Borntreger, the community’s bishop, or elder, explained. “I think it's so open, nobody wants to join us. Now more people decided to move back to Iowa and Minnesota, so kind of for unity's sake.”
It's kind of fascinating to me; it feels like another fork one can take in response to burnout -- something I know they all ran into at one point or another.
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