Alex Carson
The Amish
The Amish love their way of life. Amish communities are typically small, and they stand together. If one member of the community needs something, everyone gets together to help. In today’s modern world, people don’t always care about one another. If a neighbor needs something, most people will just look the other way. It isn’t a good thing, but it is the reality. The Amish are different. They are special. They care for one another in ways that people who live in the modern world don’t.
Technology Is a No-No
One of the major things that make the Amish so different than the rest of the world is their refusal to keep up with the times. When the television was invented, the Amish wanted no part of it. They would rather spend their time reading. The same is true with cars. When the car was invented, the Amish chose to stick with the horse and buggy. When building barns and homes, power tools are not used. They build these structures with their hands, and they are happy to do it. They don’t even have grocery stores and clothing stores. They live off the land, and they make their own clothes. Finally, you will never see a person in an Amish community sending a tweet on their Smartphone or surfing the web on their laptop. These types of technology are banned.
Joining Together
The Amish do things together as a community. They often cook together and share meals. If a family needs a new home, a barn, or a new structure built on their land, they don’t hire a contractor. They don’t even handle the job on their own. When there is something to be built, the whole community steps in and helps.
Barn Raising
A barn raising is a common occurrence with the Amish. When a member of the community needs a barn, the whole community works together. The men construct the walls from the ground. They use hammers and nails only. Electric drills and other pieces of heavy machinery aren’t used. They use their bare hands to build these walls. While all of this is going on, the women help out as well. They prepare meals for the community and the men who are working. They also take care of the children. Everyone does their part. When it is time, the men lift the walls so that they can be attached to build the barn. What the Amish do is amazing because they do it together.
Knox County
There is an Amish community in Knox County, Ohio. The community is like the other 40 Amish communities located around the United States. This little community lives off the grid, and they work together to keep their community flourishing. They are very religious and very hard working. They cooperate to get things done.
Joseph Hochstetler
Joseph Hochstetler is a man living in the Amish community in Ohio with his family. On his farm, there was a pole barn. The problem was, it wasn’t on the right side of the farm. He needed to move it from one side to the other, which was pretty far away. Since they were Amish, they didn’t have heavy machinery to move the barn. For most people in the modern world, this would have been a problem. For the Amish, it was just another day.
Joining Together
When Joseph decided that the barn needed to be moved, he reached out to his community the way that most Amish people do. He let the community know about the barn and why he needed it moved. The men got together and came up with a plan. They were going to execute it the next morning, and they were confident that it could be done.
Moving Day
On the day of the move, the Amish were up at the crack of dawn the way that they were every day. That morning was just like every other. Families woke up, took care of their land, their animals, and their homes. The women cared for the children and prepared breakfast for their families. Everyone was getting their work done so that in later, they could focus on the task of the day, moving Joseph’s barn.
Moving The Barn
When all of the families were done their work at home, they gathered together by Joseph’s barn to prepare for the move. The women and children were also there to give moral support to their male family members. The men didn’t use heavy machinery, because they didn’t have it. The 250 men who were planning to help were gathered around the barn. At the same time, they lifted the barn. All 250 men carried the barn from one end of the farm to the other. They had to move the barn nearly 200 feet. It was an amazing feat considering the barn weighted thousands of pounds, and they moved it while it was still standing. The women watch in awe. These 250 Amish men lift barn with their bare hands and carry it across farm to its new spot. The whole thing was captured on video, and it was incredible.
Working Together
What happened on the Hochstetler Farm that day was amazing. It is something that only the Amish could do. When the move was complete, they all enjoyed a meal together.
