My Life and the Amish

"Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord." (II Corthians 6:14) This scripture is popular among the Amish when explaining their separation from the world. They have a variety of religious reasons to feel the need to separate themselves. This is done in all aspects from their way of dress, their use of technology and the way they view one another. All portions of Amish life are dictated by a list of written or oral rules, known as Ordnung. This outlines the basics of the Amish faith and helps to define what it means to be Amish. This alone creates a border of the Amish lifestyle and that of my own.

As a free willed individual, I encourage separation, diversity and uniqueness. As a person that is also extremely obsessed with the fashion world, I incorporate these characteristics on a day to day basis when it comes to personal style. "Bold colors, ridiculous patterns, with the perfect shoes" is the motto. Never limiting my level of creativeness, I never focus of certain "types" of clothing. If I like it, I wear it. Every aspect is enjoyed on my behave. From getting dressed, to picking out what I shall wear, to physically shopping inside my favorite stores. The Amish differ from me and many others in this area greatly. As mentioned in the Ordnung, the Amish women dress in a simple, strictly conservative manner. Their wardrobe usually consist of long, plain, solid dresses that cover every inch of skin. Some less conservative groups may allow the women to wear short sleeves on their dresses but never completely sleeveless. Their pieces are usually hand made and they purchase fabric from stores run by a woman apart of their church community. The Amish women are not allowed to accessorize themselves with shoes other than black, patterned clothing or jewelry. The main difference in this area that I have come to realize is that I focus on separating myself from others and standing out by doing "extra" to enhance my clothing. However, "Amish clothing styles encourage humility and separation from the world and are piratical expression of their faith". Meaning, they do less.

Growing up with technology has made life helpful. Imagining a life without technology at my fingertips is almost impossible to do only because that's what I'm accustomed too now. The Amish see threats in technologies which provide easy contact with worldly ideas and values. They see it as a way to break down the family or community, by serving as distractions or eliminating the need of relying on others in one's community. Amish also feel that certain labor-saving technologies take more than they give, robbing their children of the ability to learn the value of hard work, for intense. An example would be the automobile. If husbands are able to drive far away to do things, it takes away from family time and can possibly break family ties. In my household, if my dad ca not drive to get dinner,