There are times when I think people isolate themselves in their own little worlds. We go to work, come home, shop in neighborhood markets and associate with people that have similar believes and values that we have. In a way this is good because it creates a sense of security for ourselves and our children. However we need to realize that thee is a much bigger world out there and we need to keep in tune to what else is going on outside of our safe environment. This helps us teach our children that there are people that do not live the same way we do; but they need to be accepted. Teaching the skills of acceptance and tolerance will help to create a better world for everyone.
I was so busy living in our small world that I did not realize that there is a group of amish people that live about sixty miles from us. One day my family was driving to see a distant relative. As we were driving we passed two buggies that had amish people in them. My children asked why they were dressed so different and why they were in buggies. My husband and I began sharing what information we knew about the amish people. Our children could not believe that there was still a group of people that would live off the land and not use electricity.
When we arrive at the relative’s home our children were anxious to share that they had seen amish people on the drive over. The relative told them that there is a large community of amish people that live quite close to them. They shared additional information about their life styles. This was very interesting to our children. We found out that there was a store in the near by town that sold the quilts and furniture that was made in the Amish community. After dinner we drove over to the store. There were hundreds of quilts on display. They were all hand done and involved intricate patterns. They were quite expensive. The person at the store told us that the money raised at the store was used to buy supplies that the community could not produce themselves.
I am sure that there are worries and issues living in such a closed strict community, but there is something very appealing to me about such a simple live style. It is remarkable that in the world of high technology in which we live there can be a group of people that lives amongst us that does not use electricity.
