9. What will the future hold for the Amish?
The future holds a lot of challenges for the Amish communities. Many people claim that their existence cannot be maintained in this form, but the Amish seem to prove them wrong.
One of the biggest problems they face is that the youth is curious about the world surrounding them, and sometimes young girls and boys go against the rules of their communities. The notion “rum springa” (running around) means that sometimes the young Amish people experiment with forbidden things, such as drinking, smoking or buying a car, but their parents or families do not punish them immediately. They have faith in their children, faith that they will find their way back to the Amish values (Schaefer and Zellner 37).
Another significant challenge is the lack of land. Their population is growing fast, but the arable lands around Amish communities are rather limited. This means that a father has to divide his land among his sons, but that is a limited option after a few generations. Relocation would be a good solution, but the Amish do not like this option. They can also make a living from something else than farming (Schaefer and Zellner 40).
The fast pace of modernization is another threat to the Amish. They have to constantly resist the pressure of modern world surrounding them. It is not only the technical development, but also the curious tourists trying to peep into their lives. Most conservative Amish are annoyed by strangers and tourists, since they want to stay separated from the world (Schaefer and Zellner 37-38).