The Amish and The Technology

Living a life of simplicity, is the most important thing for an Amish. Any technological advances of this world are, for the most part, obsolete, as virtually anyone would guess. The technology of this world is not a part of the world in which the Amish live. We love to use and explore new technologies today, in fact technology greatly affects our everyday living, but an Amish is very different. They have a different culture, their communities in general are opposed to certain kinds of technology. The Amish are very family oriented. They put much emphasis on the family dynamic in their culture. Therefore, needless to say, they often determine which technological devices to ban from their culture based on how they feel that such a device might weaken the family structure. This is, of course, primarily based on the convictions of the individual order, the leaders and subsequently the community as a whole based upon the ordnung, or basic laws of their culture.

What is referred to as the ordnung(Amish rules of living) of one Amish community can be dissimilar to the ordnung of another Amish society, but the rules set by the community are the rules that those within the community must adhere to. Nonetheless, they are established by interpretations of the same basic principles, much like the many sects and / or factions of the Christian faith. The convenience of things that most people take for granted (such as electricity, telephones, motor vehicles, etcetera, are considered a form of laziness or vanity to most of the Amish.

As well as often growing their own foods, the Amish will often refuse the "luxury" of tractors, making their work much more arduous than that of the average farmer. Although they do sell some of their produce and other wares, however, and therefore, perhaps do not require as much labor-saving technological contraptions. The Amish often cultivate their fields with horse-drawn equipment.

It may seem strange to the outsider, but the Amish consider these things (and others like them) to be tangible forms of vanity. They use technology to its minimal capacity that it won't make them lazy. There is, in an Amish world, little need for advanced technology. As a matter of fact, aside from advanced medicine, there is very little technology essential for our lives – primarily, new technology is mostly for entertainment.