Amish behind the wheel

Following up yesterday's Lancaster cell phone post, here's another little-known nugget on the Amish and technology:

'In a rather exceptional situation, Amish carpenters in the Arthur, Illinois, community began in the mid-1950's to acquire driver's licenses and drive trucks for work-related jobs while using buggies for personal trips.  By 1970 so many men were driving for work-related activities that local bishops began strongly to counsel against it.  Thirty years later only about a dozen men still drive on the job'  

(source: Amish Enterprise:  From Plows to Profits;  Donald Kraybill and Steven Nolt)

I remember once feeling shocked when an Ohio Amishman casually mentioned his previous career as a truck driver.  Now I figure he may have meant the time before joining the chuch, when some Amish youth and young adults own and operate cars. 

People knock the Amish for what they see as nonsensical 'shunning' of some technologies and conveniences.  But when you look at why they do it, there's a definite logic to it.

Bonus:  Brad Igou writes on 'Amish tech' at Amish Country News.

Comments

[Richard]

I truly admire the Amish way of life, goes to show us keeping it simple can be very rewarding.
If everyone is like me, we acquire so much it almost gets in the way of enjoying life. Sometimes less is more.