Respect

It did’t really hit me until we were on the car ride to his farm, that I realized we were visiting the author of a book we are currently reading in class, nonetheless his farm in located a short drive from the campus. A sense of excitement and slight nervousness came over me. I was hoping that I would refrain from engaging in any mannerisms that would possibly offend an Amish person, given that I know so little about them and their culture. Then, I wondered if the clothing I was wearing would be offensive or inappropriate in some way.

As soon as I saw who David was, that feeling of anxiousness quickly disintegrated. When he began to speak, his tone was soft and gentle, full of welcomeness. Another thing that allowed me to let go of nervousness was when I stepped outside of the car and looked around, the way the house and the barn were set in context with the driveway immediately reminded me of how one of my good friend, Patrick’s farm house and barn were arranged. My mind began to fill with memories, like when I would step out of my parents’ car onto their driveway and hearing Patrick’s dad yell, “Get some gloves on Matt!” referring to how I was about to be put to work lifting hay bales before it was time to play.

I regret basing my anxiousness on the fear of the unknown. Looking at this trip in hindsight, it was entirely a learning experience. Perhaps most important, I walked away from this visit with a mindset I never thought I would have had previous to the trip. Amish culture may have some features to it that the world should consider, looking towards sustainability and our future on planet Earth. I was amazed by how self-sufficient his farm left him as far as food goes, and even the profits he is able to make. The thing that really stuck with me though is the openness to knowledge, culture, and modernity that Kline endorses while maintaining the ability to use these things as a means to achieve something at the end of the day. Kline’s view on Amish culture to me, seems built on the absence of greed, low impact on the world in just about every way, and balancing tradition with prosperity.