Ethan Nichtern’s post below, about how quickly we assimilate (and take for granted) new technology, brought to mind a fascinating article a friend forwarded me last week on the subject as it relates to Amish populations in the US. It’s called Amish Hackers; read it here.

The article illuminated a number of aspects of Amish society I was unaware of or had misunderstood. For instance, they are not universally opposed to modern technology. Rather, they decide whether or not to adopt any given innovation with consideration of whether it adds or detracts to the overall well-being and cohesion of the community. That permits more adaptation than I’d imagined; as the article describes it, even Old Order Amish communities are presently experimenting with cell phone usage to see how it goes. They’ve been experimenting for ten years, actually—they’re still deciding.

Generally, it seems to be their bishops who have the final word on whether new technologies stay or go. I’m certainly not suggesting their system is particularly a model for the wider world, but I am struck by the fact that their approach to technological innovation seems to incorporate a valuable and wise question: will the innovation in question help or hinder the community connectedness that is our most valuable asset? And they answer that question by trying things mindfully and then deciding whether to keep them or lose them based on their first-hand experiences.