I had a long visit with my good friend (who happens to be Amish ) on Friday. We began talking about our favorite topic, horses. However, all conversations at this moment lead to Coronavirus.
My Amish friend gave me reason to pause and rethink a few things.
I thought: I will be a valuable source of information for him. After all, I'm privileged to have access to all forms of enlightenment through my phone, radio, TV, and computer.
As I began sharing what "I knew" he started to chuckle. I thought: oh no- my poor friend is doubting what I know to be fact.
As we talked, I tried to convince him of "my truth." I slowly realized that he didn't see me as a source of information at all. Not because he didn't trust me but because I got my information from through media he didn't trust.
Isn't this is a huge problem for us all? Our political leaders, and the president himself, have convinced Americans that we can't trust our news sources.
My Amish friend and I began to discuss "social distancing." It quickly became clear to me that we who are not Amish have already become "socially distant." We are very comfortable sitting in front of our TV to fulfill our need for human interaction. If that isn't enough- we text, zoom, skype, facetime, marco-polo, or whatever.
Amish people, by and large, do all of their communicating face-to-face.
This is not to mention, Amish live with extended family. Restrictions about not meeting in groups of ten or more would rule out most Amish families having supper together.
I am very concerned about my Amish friend and for all Amish everywhere. They might live on farms that are spread out over the countryside, but they are extremely socially interconnected. Amish have a strong tradition of keeping their elderly in their homes.
Modern Americans (westerners) have become obsessed with germs. Amish people have not. If you have spent any amount of time with Amish families, you know that they pass around cups to share a drink of water without a thought.
My conversation with my Amish friend ended with him giving me advice.
"We all need to pray. Only God can deliver us."
As you do your praying... please pray for our Amish friends.
