A Society of Generalists

Concerning my visit to the Amish community, I see that when the excessive entertainment of a modern society is removed there is more time to consider what is possible. Rather than run a greenhouse, an engine repair shop, and a sawdust business, I think most people would seek out a more common job such as working in a store or go to school to become a specialist in one field. Rather than specialists, the Amish seem like generalists who live by working in a variety of ways. In our modern society this would require a tremendous amount of resources and time and would furthermore provide little profit for the amount of effort required. I believe it works for the Amish because they do not obsess over the money such jobs provide so long as they can sustain themselves. Rather than looking for a job that can pay them enough to afford such things as a car, electricity, or the latest gadget, the Amish need only to earn enough to cover things such as food, gasoline and the occasional low-key luxury. I believe that their faith not only protects them from misfortune but also from allows them to seek means of occupation that are not available to the modern person. A generalist may seem to be limited in that they master nothing, but a community of generalists is much better than a community of specialists. In a community of generalists there is always demand for more generalists, and so everyone can belong. That is the sort of community I envision in the Amish.