Examining the problems that technological advances have caused in our society, it seems that the Amish's choice to limit the use of technology is a good one. By limiting the use of electricity, they prevent the infiltration of violence and sexual references that plague radio, television and the Internet. By not owning cars, they avoid the fragmentation of families, pollution and congestion caused by cars. By not owning telephones, they avoid the impersonal communication characterized by "courtesy calls." In short, by limiting the use of technology, they seem to lead a life that is simple and free of the problems caused by modernization. To some it might seem that the Amish way of life is ideal but there are some negative aspects.

One of the negative aspects of being Amish is that by not using technology, tasks are more time consuming. Manny, an ex-Amish who left the Amish at the age of sixteen, recalls how frustrated and tired he would feel when it would take him a whole day to plow an acre while his neighbor was able to plow 20 acres in a day (Garret,50). He just could not understand why he had to use a horse and plow when there was an easier way of doing things. Ed, another ex-Amish also mentions how as a child, he spent most of his time doing chores. Unlike other children his age, he could not enjoy playing baseball, fishing, swimming, and other leisurely activities (Garret,38).

Yet another fault that ex-Amish find with their culture is the fact that for the most part, they are limited to an eighth grade education. Amish parents reject sending their youth to public high schools because they feel high school would stir aspirations, raise occupational hopes and generally steer youth away from the Amish community (Kraybill,103). Other objections to public high schools are that they far from home, have inflexible schedules, and have peers that would lure Amish youth away from their community (Kraybill,103). They prefer to send their children to their own parochial one-room school houses in which only basic skills are taught and teachers and peers are Amish (Kraybill, 103). Because of these limitations, Amish youth are unable to fulfill their dreams of furthering their education. A further implication of not being able to obtain higher education is that Amish are relegated to jobs that require manual labor. Many are farmers while others work in construction, carpentry, craftmaking, quilting, baking, welding and other enterprises (Kraybill and Nolt, 46). Youth cannot have aspirations of being doctors, scientists, nor any other profession that requires higher education.

Perhaps the most negative aspect about living or being in an Amish community is that every action that an individual makes is scrutinized by the community. People who have left the Amish community say that one reason they leave is because they feel that the Amish are people who are more concerned with rules and telling people how to live their lives than with true spirituality. When Lyddie and Dan, an Amish couple, moved into another Amish settlement, for example, Dan was criticized for the way he had constructed his house as well as how his wife dressed. Members of the community said that their house and clothing looked too worldly.

Living as the Amish do can seem like an escape from the problems technology has brought upon our society but a closer examination reveals that the Amish have problems of their own. Some individuals in Amish communities do not understand why technology cannot be used, feel overworked, deprived of knowledge and opportunities, as well as constrained and criticized. They feel that the Amish way of life is not a spiritual life but rather a way of life that is governed by man-made rules.

Bibliography

Garrett, Ottie A. True stories of the X-Amish. Horse Cave, Ky: Neu Leben, Inc., 1998.
Kraybill, Donald B. ed. The Amish and the State. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP,1993.
Kraybill, Donald B. and Steven M. Nolt. Amish Enterprises: From plows to profits. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP, 1995.