Let’s say for the sake of discussion I got tired of my current life. I’m sick of politics, and I want a simpler way of life (which ironically is a lot harder I suppose).
How difficult would it be for me to move into that life? Is there any way I could be welcomed?
I don’t know the rules on what they do without, so I don’t know exactly what I’d have to give up except possibly my car.
Would I have to have a profession already worked out? Could I get trained? I stereotype most Amish as being furniture makers. What other professions are there? I suspect farming is a big one.
Different orders have different levels of strictness. Some orders allow their members to ride in cars but not to drive them, and will listen to battery-powered radios for weather and news; others prohibit riding in cars and listening to the radio.
If you truly wanted to become Amish, the first thing for you to do would be to move to an area where Amish people live. Holmes and Wayne counties, Ohio, have the largest population of Amish in the United States, followed by the Lancaster, Pennyslvania, area, and northern Indiana. The Amish are not generally suspicious, but they are very aware that mainstream culture views them as little more than tourist attractions, and an outsider who announced his intentions to join the order would be expected to demonstrate his sincerity. The only real way you could do this is the long haul – sticking around in the community. You would have to go to regular worship services (begin learning German now!)
I suggest that you hire yourself on as an apprentice to a farmer or craftsperson in exchange for lessons and room and board; that way you would have less trouble being viewed as part of the community, and you could learn some valuable skills.
The ranks of the Amish are thinning, so they’d probably be happy to have you. As long as you are REALLY fucking serious. They don’t really need people coming in, raising hell, and leaving.
There’s no central governing body, so you’ll need to speak with the bishop in whatever area you want to live in. And when I say area, I’m talking a circle that’s within buggy-driving distance - it’s not by city or county or anything.
You’ll need to be adopted into a family, cuz there’s no way you can just fend for yourself. You could become a farm hand for a family, or go to work in a mill, a factory or a shop and bring the money back to the family. I know a lot of youngsters work in restaurants, but I’m not sure if adults do it as much. Women are generally at home raising kids by the time they’re in their 20s and men are working higher paying jobs to support their families.
You’d have to give up everything, since you’d be an adult member of the community and no longer able to fuck about with testing the waters. They’re pretty lenient until you decide to become an adult member of the church - kids can even drive and stuff. But if you’re coming in as an adult you gotta be serious.
As for what you’ll be wearing and the specific rules, that’ll vary based on which order you choose (Old Order or New Order) and the rules your bishop has set forth. Some say no phone use at all, some say using the neighbor’s pay phone is ok, some say cell phones are ok.
Be prepared for long, boring weddings, long, boring funerals and long, hard days of work. Have fun!
TRIVIA ALERT - David Ogilvy, known as “the father of modern advertising”, at one point in his life lived as an Amish farmer. There may be some dispute as to if he “became” Amish, but he moved to a farm, grew the beard, adopted the clothing style, and farmed. He found he wasn’t suited to it and returned to NYC and the Mad Men scene.
Wouldn’t there be a certain amount of territoriality and resentment on the part of other single males, who might view a newbie as a source of competition for available females? It has been mentioned that the herd is thinning. On a related note, is there any real danger of the Amish disappearing entirely?
Yeah, everything I’ve read is that the Amish faith is growing pretty steadily. I took a sociology course on them in college and that was certainly the trend back then. Part of the reason they don’t all farm anymore is that most of the ancestral farmlands are already “taken,” and land prices have risen to the point in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana that there’s pressure to move west. Many more Amish men now work in light industry such as carpentry and blacksmithing, or in tourist-trade-related work such as restaurants or crafts, than used to.
My bad. The ranks of the Amish people I personally know are shrinking (Several of the people in my grandparents’ area are quitting the church and becoming Mennonite)
(Several of the people in my grandparents’ area are quitting the church and becoming Mennonite)