The Differently Similar Amish

            When Tinker and I first met, I was startled to notice a dead mouse resting in her mouth. I immediately sympathized with the poor mouse and turned against Tinker, judging her as a wild dog that was much different than my own dog and the other dogs I had met before. As Tinker and I spent more time together, however, I found that Tinker is actually quite similar to my own dog. Although she may live a much different lifestyle, she likes to run, explore, and get attention like my own dog. Looking back on my experience at the Weaver’s, I realize that my warming up to Tinker is a microcosm of my experience with the Amish during this excursion. When we arrived at the Weaver’s house, I had already convinced myself that the family lives in a whole different world than the one my own family lives in. When the Amish had come to work on my house a few years ago, this shallow notion of the Amish became ingrained in my mind. When I noticed that they had long beards and strange hats, and that they did not drive, use cell phones, listen to music, nor talk much, I decided they were much different than my family and I. However, as I spent more time in the Weaver household, I learned that their family is more similar to my own than I thought.

            Though they might wear different clothing, the Weavers and the other Amish families I met on the trip are quite similar to my own. They use a horse and buggy to get around just as we use cars. They visit the Bargain Bin just as we visit Walmart. They make puzzles, rugs, and Honda engines just as my dad makes plastic bags. They use candles, flashlights, headlamps, and battery-powered and gas-powered lights just as we use light bulbs. Though the food may have been made in a much different way, the Thanksgiving dinner we had at the Weaver’s was very similar to the one I had with my own family. Though I may play tennis instead of corn hole, and vacuum the floors in my house instead of cleaning the farm, the Amish also have chores and enjoy the spirit of competition. I was surprised to discover that I live a life very similar to the one the Weaver family and the other Amish families we met live.
            I was most surprised by my realization that the Amish share my freedom to choose my life’s path. Ever since that day the Amish came to work on my house and I noticed the son of one of the Amish workers wearing a hat and clothes similar to his father’s, following his father around, and helping with the work, I was convinced that all Amish were obligated to follow all the aspects of Amish life. The reading about the Amish we read and the movie we saw about the Amish before the trip taught me that this was not true; not all of the children and teenagers follow all of the Amish laws and customs because they cannot join the church until they are seventeen. This fact congealed in my mind at the Weaver’s house when I noticed Ester’s nephew’s fairly normal hairstyle and dress and usage of a cell phone and electricity. Shocked by this, I asked Ester what the meaning behind it was. She informed me that her nephew was still deciding whether he was going to commit to the Amish church, and was currently exploring what life was like outside of the Amish country. I was astonished to learn that like me, Ester’s nephew had the ability to decide how to live his life.