Navigating Their Niche The Art Of Business SelfSufficiency
Within the serene and pastoral communities of the Amish, the sight of courthouses and the clang of prison bars are conspicuously absent. Yet, this does not imply that their society is a stranger to the occasional transgression. Remarkably, the Amish maintain a remarkably low incidence of crime, a testament perhaps to their proactive approach to discouragement rather than punishment.
For the uninitiated, it’s important to note that the Amish have a unique system that hinges on the Ordnung, a set of guidelines that governs their faith and lifestyle. This system, however, binds only those who have made a solemn commitment through baptism. For the unbaptized, the rules of the Ordnung do not apply.
The specter that looms larger than any cell for the Amish is not incarceration, but excommunication.
The community employs various interventions to avert this extreme measure, fostering an environment where repentance is encouraged. Should an individual falter and sin, the Amish practice of Meidung comes into effect. This form of social shunning is not an eternal sentence but persists until the individual shows genuine remorse. During this period, the person at fault is subject to a profound ostracization – to the extent of being barred from sharing a meal with fellow Amish.
Should the individual persist in their ways without seeking forgiveness, the path leads away from the church and, heartbreakingly, from their loved ones, with whom they may never converse again. In this tightly-knit community, the silent echoes of a shunned existence resonate deeply, reinforcing the values that keep their way of life harmonious and their crime rates commendably low..