"Cooperative Work"

Country Values By Brian Wilkes

I have lived among the Amish several times in my life, totaling 15 years of interaction. They still have the practical tradition of raising a barn in one day and finishing before dark. The owners provide materials and meals, the community provides labor. This sets up and obligation for the owners to help with the next barn raising. At one time this was common in both Amish and non-Amish communities, but the sense of Zusammenarbeit (cooperative work) among the “English” has faded. One of the greatest praises an Amishman can speak of an “English” is “Er is en faehicher schreiner” (He is an able carpenter), or “Sie scheie nicht sich vun haddiarewat.” (They don’t shy away from hard work). There's a cliché of depicting Amish subject matter in broad, flat areas reflecting the "Plain People". I went instead for a very busy sky, creating a sense of urgency - storm coming?