Ok I am going to be "that" poster here... I once looked at the Amish as the best fit to what I envisioned as the direction I wanted to take my lifestyle... so I visited their community looking to purchase one of their farms to learn their ways and to live off grid...but to my surprise this is what I found….
-
Most every home was inexpensively made with the lowest cost materials (vinyl exteriors and sliding interior paneled walls) they looked hastily built and the Amish "attention to detail" build I expected to see was lacking in all respects (except 2 of the oldest homes that were log cabins and I did not enter into those). Every home I looked at had an electric freezer (some had several) and a washing machine (both were hooked up to a gas or diesel powered engine pulley system) that while the washing was being done the freezer was also being cooled.
-
There were many homes that were geared towards the owners occupation within this community (mostly woodworking is what I viewed) and in those homes the garages were turned into well equipped wood working shops and there were industrial sized lathes, saws, presses etc and they all ran off of an intricate under the floor pulley/belted system centrally connected to one large "gas or diesel" engine and crank shaft.
-
I saw several large tractors working in the fields (of course not their tractors but those of a neighbor or friend or someone who they bartered for services with).
-
I saw Amish men returning home after working away from their community and all were talking about what they had been listening to on the radio in the vehicles they were transported in and all men seemed quite versed on the latest information and news.
-
I visited their "supply" stores and guess what I found? There were large freezer/refrigerator and other electrically inclined store necessities (of course the store was owned by a former Amish citizen so as not to violate their laws) but utilized by the community for the community.
-
In the "grocery" store (which was connected to the supply store above) I saw items that had been bought in bulk from the open market (flour, sugar, nuts, cooking items etc.. and they had been repackaged into smaller packages for sale within their community and to travelers/vacationers. The only items I felt were true "Amish" products for sale in the store were some of the vegetables, the baked goods and some dairy products. Oh yeah and the furniture that was for sale on the front porch.
-
I looked at the prices on the merchandise for sale in the (basic needs store) and I was floored! Everything in the store was priced at least 40% more than buying from an outside market. From clothes, fabric, tools, nails, cookware etc... I remember thinking what a captive audience these stores had in their communities and no wonder the individuals had a hard time paying their "bill/tabs" so to speak.
-
I also met a young Amish wife and mother of 4 small children who had been diagnosed with cancer (one of the reasons their house was for sale, they wanted to get back to their parents community in another state) because the current community they lived in was grid locked in debate if they would pay for this young ladies medical treatments (she said it had been 4 months since her diagnosis and nothing had been decided) she was not complaining but you could see she was desperate for me to buy their home and as I took in the gravity of her situation, I was deeply saddened....
-
When I walked the properties for sale this is what I saw. The natural resources had been stripped from most of the lands. The lumber had been harvested and the land looked raw, water ravaged and disregarded. Most of the yards looked more like trash/salvage yards than family residences. In all honesty I felt that the original community must have purchased much land that was deemed not desirable by others and probably got the land at a substantially lower price but it seemed to come at a cost to their members in one way or another. I also saw a vast difference between the "elders/leaders" lands/homes and those of the average community family.
-
During another visit I saw a family returning home from an outing in their horse drawn carriage and as they came up their driveway a young colt (their carriage horses foal) ran at them excited that it's mother had returned and got tangled up in the harness and reins. It was very dangerous for the family within the carriage and for the horse and her baby. After they untangled the colt they drug it out of sight and killed it. When I asked why they shot the colt they told me with a smile "the buzzards got to eat too". That incident made me look closely at their fencing system and most Amish utilized a single strand of electric (solar) fence line for keeping in or out livestock...
-
I saw small phone shacks located centrally between 2-6 community homes for equal access and each family had their own voicemail for communication purposes.
-
I saw the community church/center/class room for the children (up to 8th grade) where mostly males attended (might be just what they had as far as gender but it was a vast difference in the male to female ratio).
-
I saw several large closely located "non Amish owned" businesses where their community worked using electronics computers, cell phones etc... The "owners" once again were former Amish and buying all the items forbidden for the Amish to own (but they can use all they like)... I couldn't help but feel suspicious that there was much more to this "business arrangement" than met the eye.
I truly believed that the Amish would survive a TSHTF situation, but sadly now I think the Amish will probably survive even less time than the average Joe citizen. I believe that by the very nature of their reputation and the ease of pinpointing their communities, when TSHTF these people will be easily overtaken and will be among the very first to be "ravaged" by those looking for food, livestock or supplies. I also think that the Amish have bastardized their practices, beliefs and their lands in search of the proverbial "easier" way and in search of "money" that they too have become dependent upon the "grid" for survival even if vicariously through their non Amish affiliations.
In conclusion, I was very disillusioned with what I saw and experienced so much so that I decided not to purchase property in (or anywhere near) their community.
Submitted December 10, 2016 at 12:01AM by thoughtfulkitten http://ift.tt/2hflk2Y conspiracy
No comments:
Post a Comment