Most countercultural of all: the Amish
Life in the United States has changed drastically in the last several decades. Technology, pharmaceutical and medical interventions, dietary shifts, educational policies, and social trends have radically altered our way of life. Over the same time period, Americans have become fatter, sicker, and less happy. Chronic disease has skyrocketed, and our children suffer ill health at unprecedented levels. Yet there is one group that has not experienced many of these same changes: The Amish and other Plain Sect churches. By opting out of a host of our modern social ills, they have avoided many of the negative outcomes impacting the rest of America, particularly our children. When I speak of the Amish, I am primarily referring to the Older Order Amish but much applies to Old Order Mennonites and other plain sect communities as well. The Amish entered the American Experiment in the Colonial era after fleeing violent religious persecution in Europe. Their community customs are dictated by the Ordnung, a set of church rules designed to encourage a simple, modest life, prevent social decay, and bind the community together. Members are pacifists who eschew cars for horses and buggies and reject current fashions for modest homemade dresses and bonnets or black pants, shirts, and hats. They forgo screen-based entertainment of all kinds.