Plain Living

During nap this week I have been reading the book "Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World". Ever since my first visit to Amish County, PA I've been obsessed with the Amish way of life. It amazes me how happy and carefree they seem. The book I'm reading is not about how to become Plain. It's about how an English person can take simple steps to become more like a Plain person. It's actually am amazing book that every Christian, and non Christian, should read. Some of the steps, I can't take yet, because they have to do with marriage and children. But the ones about technology I can take. One thing I read that surprised me was that the Amish don't shun technology, they shun being overly attached to it.

They have a telephone in each community so they can make important calls. They let their sick use modern medicine. They use solar, wind, and water power to fuel their farm equipment. They just aren't attached to the technology they have. If something breaks, no big deal. They have another, simpler, way of doing whatever it is they need to do.

In order to become more Plain and less English, I bought a watch. It seems weird since the Plain aren't attached to time, but I know what I'm doing. By buying a watch, I can use it to tell time. (duh.) But it also means I don't need my phone with my 24/7. It never fails that when I look at my phone to see what time it is, I also check e-mail, facebook, etc. But if I look at my watch, I'll read the time and go on with life. Telling time, takes less time if that makes any sense.

Being Plain is just better. Better for health (Amish have a lower percentage of members with heart disease), better for family (there is no divorce), better for me.