A recent visit with an Amish (Swartzentruber) friend included some major laughs. She had some recently hand-laundered towels hanging out to dry. I noted that they were quite colorful but assured her that I wouldn’t tell the bishop.
The bigger laugh came while we were discussing some purchases I might make for her in my travels. In the course of making sure I understood her needs, I said, “Well, I can always call you if I have questions.” She, of course, knew I was teasing and, for some reason, found it funny! We occasionally have serious conversations about her faith and practice, so she knows I’m not trying to lead her astray. She appreciates my concern, but also finds it humorous.
During one such conversation, I had some brand new sheets to offer her, but ,I noted they were printed, which conservative Amish shun as to showy. We opened the package together to examine them. She noted they were only printed on one side, so she could turn them inside out! Some would call that a workaround.
I’ll admit that I don’t always understand the reasoning behind the “rules,” but I’m learning. I’m also coming to admire the thinking and creativity behind both the rules and the workarounds.
That sheet-turning trick stuck with me — a simple, clever solution to a real constraint. I found another one recently on the Amish America Blog: The Amish “Black Box Phone.” Erik Wesner does a nice job of explaining the workaround and the thinking behind it. At least one point is that the Amish think about things we Englisch (non-Amish) tend to take for granted.
Where we run on autopilot, collectively the Amish stick to flying their own plane. That’s not a great metaphor because most conservative Amish do not use air travel.
My Amish friend doesn’t criticize me for the decisions I make. I usually enjoy the ones she does. We’ve built a relationship that allows for some teasing and, more importantly, creates respect for each other’s thinking and practice. We also laugh a lot.
I like that it’s just that simple.