The Amish largely untouched by U.S. financial crisis
Scripps Howard News Service – TIM GRANT Sep 30, 2011
When Wall Street banks hit rock bottom three years ago and investors across the nation were crying uncle, members of one American subculture emerged relatively unscathed.
The Amish, with their horses and buggies and their “upside-down” values, were largely unaffected by the financial crisis, living contented lives and amassing cash.
“Their whole world view is based on living below their means, never ever above their means,” said Lorilee Craker, author of the book “Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing and Saving.” Go to story
excerpt from Letter to Rupanuga, Bombay, December 18, 1974:
Our farm projects are an extremely important part of our movement. We must become self-sufficient by growing our own grains and producing our own milk, then there will be no question of poverty. So develop these farm communities as far as possible. They should be developed as an ideal society depending on natural products not industry. Industry has simply created godlessness, because they think they can manufacture everything that they need. Our Bhagavad-gita philosophy explains that men and animals must have food in order to maintain their bodies. And the production of food is dependent on the rain and the rain of course is dependent on chanting Hare Krsna. Therefore let everyone chant Hare Krsna, eat nicely and keep their bodies fit and healthy. This is ideal life style. We do not condemn modern civilization but we don’t like to get it at the cost of God Consciousness, that is suicide.
excerpt from Letter to Nityananda, Denver, July 1, 1975:
This farm project you should consider very important. The idea is that people can be self sufficient and raise their own foodstuffs and have sufficient milk to save time and chant Hare Krishna. Why should they work so hard in the hellish factories? Let everyone live simply and be Krsna conscious.
Letter to Rupanuga, Ahmedabad, September 29, 1975:
If these farm projects are successful, then all this industry will be closed. We do not have to make propaganda, but automatically people will not want. The people are innocent. The rascal leaders say it is primitive to remain on the farm, but to do business in the city and become rogue and rascal, that is advanced. They have dog race, horse race, gambling, coca cola, pepsi cola—all unnecessary. There is no use for it but the business is going on. They take to cigarette and T.V. because they have no good engagement. They are chewing the already chewed.
