The Amish's Complicated Relationship With Electricity Explained

The Amish's Complicated Relationship With Electricity Explained

It's an interesting thought process in today's world, in which many not only embrace new technology, but chase it without much thought about how it may affect their lives in the long run. Technology is sold on a platform of being a positive thing that will enhance the lives of its users. But the Amish say, "woah, let's weigh the pros and cons against what our goals and principles are as a society and decide what will be best for the community." That's the sentiment anyway, per Amish America, and it's not lost on the Amish that many technologies are powered by electricity. 

So for the Amish, they've found that using electricity is beneficial for operating their businesses, running some home appliances, and for providing artificial light, including lighting their buggies at night when safety is crucial. Electric power tools both big and small are also utilized, but they are always crafty with the means they use to power their equipment so as to continue to stave off entanglement with the outside world. 


According to Amish America, the Amish are also mindful of how easy chores and work can be with the use of various tools and appliances, and since they value work in a different way than modern societies — viewing work as important to the social aspects of the communities and as a character builder for their children — they basically take what they can use and leave the rest.