Amish at work

[lockhaven]

living near an Amish community I made it a point to educate myself about their customs and rules so as not to embarrass anyone. The old order Amish which many think are "The Amish" have elders that decide what the rules are. That is why some do not use any motorized equipment and others do. The younger men seem to always be pushing the boundaries with whats accepted, again this varies from community to community. They do have a time when they are in their teens, Rumspringa it is the time of youth around 15 or 16 before actually joining the church that many in some congregations seem to break the rules. The Amish make a decision to join the church and follow the rules of the congregation as young adults. Their attitude towards work and community are without equal in my humble opinion.

 

[wawajake]

Where it gets tricky is when they compete for construction business . We have a few sects in our area too, and local contractors would not mind competing with them, if they were under the same safety and building code constraints as they are , but that is not the case...........here the local safety and buidlding inspectors turn a blind eye . Maybe they miss it all happening because it happens so quick.........they built a barn across the road from me........no safety harnesses whatosever, they used manual mandrels to put in the roof screws, but tractor to install the posts (pole barn).............their black horses sat in the hot sun tied to a post for ten hours......... miserable looking horses, I felt for them.

 

[oldballs]

Too bad we don't have a time-lapse of the Pyramids or the Cathedrals of the middle ages. But I don't think they went up in one day.