The Amish are a community of people who live for their community and not for just themselves. For the Amish, family values are a top priority, second only to God; each member of this communities lives for the family! The Amish people’s true love is to live in peace and happiness and raise their children to grow up and have families which comply with Amish values. In this manner, they hope to bring out people who are value adding to the whole community.
Children are taught to be honest, compassionate and to show mutual respect for one another from a very young age. Amish parents often re-enforce the fact that anything out of this was heinous and that God is aware of all that is done.
Showing compassion towards family members is one of the most commonly practiced values within the Amish culture. If someone is hurting, everyone will immediately flock together to help out in any way that they can. Honesty is also one of the firmly inculcated family values which are practiced on a daily basis. Members are taught to be honest about everything and that to be dishonest would be committing an unforgivable sin.
There are no elements of materiality, individuality or even pleasure in the Amish culture; they can be said to be non-existent. The Amish are extremely proud of their ability to live on their lives without many of the materialistic goods which the rest of the world has categorized as “necessities.”
The lack of individualism is common in Amish families. Every ideal Amish teenager’s dream is to get married and have a family of their own. It is impossible not to have children after getting married, as birth control is not part of the Amish values. Not wanting to get married is something which is respected in the Amish community.
On the other hand, there is no room for pleasure within lives of the Amish. For instance, the whole purpose of bathing was to clean the body and was not a mode of relaxation.
The uniqueness of the Old order Amish lies in the fact that they have voluntarily chosen to live without many of the modern conveniences of today. The key values of the Amish lie in simplicity and self-denial over comfort, convenience and leisure. Maintaining self-sufficiency has resulted in a bond between the Amish community which protects it from any external evils and threats.
