Justin RhodesAbundant Permaculture, LLC · Boss

I spent 30 hours with the Amish (I believed a lie)

Name: I spent 30 hours with the Amish (I believed a lie)
Uploaded: 2026-03-29T21:50:18+00:00
Duration: 1 min 26 s
Channel: Justin Rhodes
Description: In a 30‑hour immersion with Amish communities in Ohio, the speaker reflects on and corrects several common misconceptions. He observes that Amish people…

29 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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1:26

In a 30‑hour immersion with Amish communities in Ohio, the speaker reflects on and corrects several common misconceptions. He observes that Amish people are generally happy and eager to interact with outsiders, contrary to the stereotype of aloofness. Their health is not uniformly robust; some are experiencing illness and are not living in a wholly regenerative, organic manner. While often portrayed as a monolithic culture, the Amish display significant individualism, both in personal faith experiences and daily choices. Technology use exists on a spectrum: many use battery‑powered devices, propane freezers, and occasional cell phones, but none are connected to the public electric grid; leaders may access the internet weekly at a library, and a local doctor does so daily. Socially, Amish ride in cars but do not drive them themselves. In group settings they appear stoic and avoid standing out, emphasizing humility, yet on an individual level they are warm, eager to teach, learn, and share their lives. The speaker apologizes for his prior misconceptions and expresses gratitude for the experience.

Chapters

I just spent 30 hours with the Amish in Ohio. So much of what we know has been a lie. First, they are happy and eager to interact with us, the English. Second, they are not all healthy, and they are certainly not growing in a regenerative organic way, and they are starting to get sick. Third, you may think they're uniform across the board, but they're very individualistic in a broad way. Speaking of individual, they can experience God in an individual way. And they, just like us, are trying to figure that out. Many of them do use electricity, but it's on a spectrum. None of them are plugging into the grid. They might use battery-powered things at home, propane freezers, for example. All the ones I met ride in cars. They never drive cars, but they'll ride in cars. I've seen several with cell phones. The leader of the van is Amish, but he gets online at the library once a week. The doctor that spoke there gets online every day. Lastly, in a group setting, they are very stoic. I found out in their culture they don't want to stand out. They have a very humbling approach. But getting to know them on an individual level is absolutely wonderful. They're eager to learn, they are eager to teach and share their life, and just overall fun to be around. I'm sorry for any of the misconceptions I had. Thankful for the 30 hours I got to spend with the Amish.