Serious thread on Amish killings here

I don;t know why, but after reading that I thought immediately of this, the last paragraph of Lincoln's 1st Innaugural

 

Because you're smart and well-read?

 

Given some of the talk in the other threads, why not set the ground rule for this one? We do it for the baseball threads.

 

Agreed... and that was a wonderful action on their part...

 

Agreed.

There's a tiny little Amish community about 15 miles south of here (the restaurant has the best damn fried chicken, rolls and pie in the world). My family and I spent a day there once. Nicest people you'd meet. Went to the hardware store, a couple of other places, an antique store, etc. People there just strike up conversations with you, and the sincerity they display in genuine. If I showed half the generosity these people have, my ticket to heaven would have been punched long ago.

Did I mention the pie?

 

i have never looked at amish lifestyle or other so-called simpler lifestyles as backward, just different than mine. the luddite in me appreciates the good in those lifestyles.

as pointed out another thread, i know all groups have their issues, but there are admirable qualities (i.e. forgiveness in the face of such tragedy) that warm the heart and mind. makes me a feel a little bit better about humanity.

 

In a media world where victims and survivors and witnesses and so-called friends/relatives immediately start the clock on their fifteen minutes of fame, it's touching to see the grace and dignity with which these people honor their privacy. No cameras, no interviews, no instant celebrities.

Sad reminder that it's possible to suffer unthinkable tragedy without becoming famous.