I took the course “Sociology of American Religion” this past semester, during which we read about and discussed Amish culture. The author of our book (Bill Kraybill) theorized that the Amish are “modern traditionalists,” both resisting and accommodating modernization. They resist what detracts from their values (farm and community being the centerpieces of society) and accommodate technologies and change that work for them. With this in mind, I have to take the principles of Amish life that Berry describes with a grain of salt. The use of technologies in farm life, diversification and stratification in the working world, and Amish tourism are all changing the face of Amish culture–some of the admirable facets described by Berry may not exist as they once did.
” They esteem farming as both a practical art and spiritual discipline.”
I love this statement because I think it is so different from what the majority of our population believes. Many people (including myself) take for granted the work that farmers do and don’t respect this profession as much as it deserves. When I read this, I thought of something that Corie Pierce said at Bread and Butter Farm during our Farm Tour on Sunday. She mentioned that when she was young and working on a farm, it was the opposite of cool. She avoided telling people where she worked and kept her passion for farming a secret. Over the past decade, she’s watched this completely transform. Students working on her farm are proud of what they’re doing now–they love the work and are happy to tell friends about their job. I see this myself too. When I was younger, none of my friends ever said that they wanted to be farmers. Today, I have several close friends both from home and from Middlebury working on farms during summers and even post-graduation. It’s a big change that I never really thought of before, but all of a sudden I’m realizing that farming is becoming more esteemed and desirable as a profession, discipline, and art.
Hi Jenna,
Thank you for your comments.
I agree that farmers deserve more recognition that what they get. Without farmers we would not have the food that we eat. Working in community gardens has allowed me to see how farmers are needed everywhere, not just in rural areas. I remember one day, a man was working on his crops with his sons at one of the community gardens. In this way, I saw, families and saw how gardens could even strengthen family ties.