We were not only shocked by the graphic horror of those small kids in that schoolroom being murdered in cold blood, but at the same time dumbfounded by the simplicity of the Amish children and community in their unified response. Should you care to read something on what makes them what they are, I recommend Donald B. Kraybill, The Riddle of Amish Culture. I have a question:
What can we learn from the Amish?
1. Simplicity.
2. Forgiveness.
3. Community.
4. Gelassenheit: Kraybill isolates this term for what makes the Amish what they are. It means “surrenderedness” to God and to one another. “The goal,” he says, “of Gelassenheit is a subdued, humble person who discovers fulfillment in the community.”
What else do you think we can learn? Any stories?