The Amish certainly have different lives than a majority of us. Amish individuals who classify as “old order” ride in buggies instead of cars, produce and cook all of their food from scratch, make their own clothing, and do not typically use technology. These individuals also have a different set of rules that they live by than most of us depending on the strictness of their Amish community, like not being able to wear the color red, dance, or be photographed. However, no two Amish groups or communities are exactly alike.
Although the Amish have and continue to settle in approximately 24 states in the United States and in parts of Canada and Central America, they are able to beautifully maintain their own community and live by their own beliefs and general ways of life separate from those who live more modern lifestyles.
Generally, if there’s any single word to classify the Amish, it’s that they are very hard working people. They are also very good at what they do. Rather than relying on factories to mass produce their goods or utilizing modern machinery or other technology to simplify each and every little thing they do, the Amish typically take the longer, harder, more labor-intensive, but nevertheless, often the “better” route.
In fact, in one video, we witness a group of 250 Amish men from Ohio lifting a large barn when farm owner Joseph Hochstetler wanted it moved 150 feet. However, in our modern worlds, we would probably either leave the barn at its current location or use heavy equipment to carefully move it elsewhere!
Although it might seem like an impossible task, the men prove otherwise. In fact, they make the task look quite easy as they swiftly transport the beautiful barn without dropping it. All of the men’s strength combined also allows them to turn the barn 90-degrees before they carefully place it in its new location. In the end, the men completed the entire task in under five minutes! Now that’s what I call teamwork.
Without even knowing anything about the Amish, this video alone says a lot about Amish communities’ hard work ethic, cooperation with one another, and overall self-sustainability. While different Amish communities have different lifestyles and rules to follow, all Amish are raised to be respectful, diligent in their work, conservative in how they dress and act, and active in their faith.
Your jaw will drop when you watch the video of the men carrying the barn in the video below! Isn’t that just amazing to watch?
