Mark is passing through rural Pennsylvania. He’s in farming country. Google delivers some beautiful panoramas when I search his location.
Yesterday, we spoke by phone. He was in good spirits, as he usually is. We talked about the Amish.
The Amish are primarily rooted in Lancaster County, to the east of where Mark is right now. However, he said he’s seen a number of them pass in their horse and buggy get-ups.
One foot in the past and the present.
While I don’t know much about them, I do know that they are one of the few groups that seem to have resisted many of the excesses of 20th (and now, 21st) Century capitalism.
They still rely on actual horsepower to run their farms and live their lives. They live simply, centered on family and community.
According to one website on the Pennsylvania Amish, they “trace their heritage back hundreds of years, and yet, despite all the time that has passed and many changes have taken place in society, they still live and work much as their forefathers did.
How many of us can say that?
Rather than horse and buggy, Mark continues westward, one (bare) footstep at a time. If you want more information on his journey, and why he’s doing it, visit this site. Maybe even throw some spare change his way to support a noble cause and organization.