Could It Be, Peace in Our Time?

Last evening, I walked on the wild side, I left the house for a short ride, and my cell phone remained at home. What an act of daring indiscretion! Imagine what would have happened if someone wanted to speak with humble me and they got no answer. Perish the thought. Would the National Guard have been summoned? Would the sunset have been halted until that vital communication could have been completed?
A little secret, just between us, it’s really the second time in a week I left my faithful, black “dumb phone” (I only talk and text on it, that’s all, no games, movies, or banking) home as I went out, outside the reach of modern man, like the Native Americans or mountain men. Perhaps it was a senior moment of sorts, but not really. I have actually toyed with the notion of giving up ownership of a cell phone. Heresy! How could a newspaper editor possibly give a thought to such nonsense? Quite easily. There are plenty of phones and all have answering gadgets attached.
Perhaps it has something to do with one of those “revolutionary” books I have read since my beloved spouse gifted me at Christmas with a Kindle Fire. This avowed cheapskate, and faithful Cape May County Library patron of long standing, has found many interesting volumes at a very (to me) affordable download price (free!) The latest of those volumes is “Amish Peace” by Suzanne Woods Fisher. It focuses on “simple wisdom for a complicated world.”
Reading the words makes me wonder why so many of us would ever consider anything BUT a simple, family-centered lifestyle. Eschew all the gadgetry of this modern age and return to what is basic and easy.
I found that when I tell someone of the book, they are quick to bring up the television series that focuses on young folks who shunned the Amish way of life in favor of joining the “English” as they term anyone who is not of that sect.
From that I have garnered from the book thus far, the secret, if that is what it may be called, is to be content with the things you have, live in harmony with your surroundings, and use everything you are given to the best of your ability.
I found it Interesting, according to the book, that the Amish were among the first to exploit solar power. Why? Because it is natural and when used does not require connecting to “the grid,” which they believe is a bad thing. Propane is used for a number of household appliances, including refrigerators, and even an iron. I couldn’t believe that, so I put down the Kindle and researched on Google. Sure enough, there was a propane-powered iron; all because it would not connect them to “the grid.”
There is no puzzling for the Amish in the morning to ponder the clothing they will wear that day. Men and women are attired in simple homemade clothing which is plain, simple and never varies. Children are taught only to the eighth grade, girls are trained in home economics skills, and boys work on the farm or in trades that are useful to the family.
Is it an easy life? No. When we whiz by a horse-drawn buggy on our way to the Lancaster, Pa. Dutch Country, it may seem idyllic, but the book’s author wonders how many would want to ride in a buggy in January with cold winds blowing. And by the way, the wheels of an Amish buggy are not coated with rubber, but instead are metal coated, so as to keep the riders closer to God’s creation. Take that over a bumpy back road and see how idyllic it may seem.
Could our smartphone-enamored society ever shift back to such a lifestyle of bucolic contentment? If I experienced angst going for a ride without a cell phone, what does that mean? For the young generation, it would be virtually impossible. Turn off the power, run out of battery juice and the world stops cold.
Home interiors of the Amish are earth tones, walls and ceilings, painted in semi-gloss finish, since that’s easier to clean, as is linoleum on the floors.
Also interesting, as the author points out, is the Amish diet. Laden with such goodies as noodles and potatoes, cooked with butter and sugar, it would seem the Amish would tip the scales on the high side, not necessarily. How many truly overweight Amish are there, since walking and physical exercise is something natural to the daily routine.
A study mentioned in the book was done with pedometers placed on Amish men and women. One of them was found to have averaged over 53,000 steps a day. Admittedly, the man was a farmer who walked behind his team plowing fields, but it was free exercise. That’s more than enough to burn off scads of calories. Modern overworked Americans gladly pay for gym membership so they can walk off pounds on treadmills; Amish just walk and walk and walk on a daily basis, all for free.
Another was asked why he continued to plow with a team of horses instead of tractors, he replied, tractors would compact the soil, and, when his team got tired and needed rest, it afforded him an opportunity to relax and read. There is nothing wrong with that attitude in my book.
Does a cell phone add value to your life or mine? What did you do before cell phones? From what I witness daily, drivers must have been very focused on the road, because now, many are driving with eyes skyward as they chatter on hand-held cell phones, oblivious to the road ahead.
In church or at a funeral, is it really necessary to have a cell phone? Worse, is it so important to communicate that it must go off mid-service? In a restaurant, do other diners really care to hear your side of a conversation as they eat their meat loaf and mashed potatoes?
I won’t even go into the electronic hell of emails, that would surely stymie an Amish man or woman.
Dear reader, if you are dismayed with your life as it is, and you have the ability to spare a few hours this summer, I recommend Fisher’s book, free from the library, or for money at a book shop. It will offer some very common sense alternatives that can help you enjoy this season and the rest of your life.
Remember: Be content with what you have. Work six days a week, and take off on the seventh one.