To those accustomed to instant everything, such a life seems impossibly hard and, well, dull. And yet, you cannot spend time among the Amish and not think these people know something we don't.
The Amish culture is most alien to us moderns in its patriarchal family structure. The battle of the sexes doesn't exist, as gender and sex are not allowed to be controversial. Men have ultimate moral authority, and few would disagree that life is balanced unfairly for females, who often work double shifts, both helping with outdoor chores and tending to home and children.
Even the rules against mechanization get tweaked to benefit male-dominated enterprises, while those that might lighten women's load are rigidly denied. The rationale is that compromises can be made as long as they benefit the Amish culture. Business is business, even here, and the Amish are widely recognized as savvy and entrepreneurial.
What is most striking about the Amish, in stark contrast to the broader American culture, is the centrality of family, the involvement of children in nearly all activities, and the concentration of most activities in the home - from birth to death, including eating, leisure, social functions and even church. While we leave sticky notes and voicemails as family members head in different directions, the Amish don't stray far from home or each other.
Life is certainly not perfect. Amish are also human. They have some problems, including alcoholism as well as other health concerns, such as polio, possibly associated with their suspicion of vaccinations.
But as odd as the Amish life may seem to us, ours is beyond weird to them. What we take for granted as rights and choices are mortal sins to them. Divorce is taboo and abortion unheard of. Children aren't shuttled off to day care, and the elderly die at home with family.
Somewhere between our ways and theirs is perhaps a different way that might make ours a saner world.