I was thinking about being off the grid, not relying on outside sources for power, water etc. I then thought of one of the most successful groups of people that live off the grid, the Amish. Their religious teachings pretty much outlaw technology though a few groups do use solar power for some tasks like electric fences.

As far as I know, the Amish have never been involved in any sort of war or major fight and they forgive pretty much any transgression against them, even if their children get murdered. They also have an insane ability to work. Any group of people that can raise a barn in a day and have a party at the end should be respected.

I think more folk should be like the Amish. If the whole world followed some of their way of doing things (some of their beliefs are not cool, like shunning and the whole dress code thing among others) then fighting would pretty much stop. We would also be back to the days before steam power which isn’t so good. Perhaps have enough tech to stay in touch with folk and move things around with minimal hassle (there is only so much a group of horses can do).

It would be pretty fun to live with a group of Amish for a while. You would learn a ton and have a whole new appreciation for how your food is grown.