This past weekend, I was at the cottage entertaining our wonderful friends from Denmark (five of the loveliest individuals one could ever have the pleasure of meeting).
At the request of the matriarch of the Danish crew, we went to the market at St. Jacob's, which is a Mennonite town about a twenty-five minute drive from the cottage. Whilst there, the eldest son would discreetly point to some of the hard core Mennonites. In his charming European adolescent fashion, he would comment about how their lives must suck. On this point, he was obdurate despite my explanations that there could be some beauty in the simplicity of it all. (While lecturing him of course, I was trying to block out the depressing conflict and dreariness which I'd read about in Miriam Toewes "A Complicated Kindness").
My teenage friend kept waxing and waning about a life devoid of cars, electronics and good clothes. Since Denmark is a socialist country, his is certainly not a life jammed with the commercial pleasures into which we greedy North Americans regularly dip our gouty little fingers. Because of this, I thought he could relate to the lives of the Mennonites. From his perspective though, he couldn't figure out why a North American would choose to forego the luxries which he himself was forced to do without.
This weekend, my car broke down, followed by my traiterous cell phone which decided to just literally fall apart within my hands. Then my Palm Pilot started acting up and I oculdn't figure out which end was up in my life anymore. I realised that the Mennonites had one up on us; they could easily star in a Survivor series and thrive, while I would lie moaning on the ground complaining about the lack of electrical outlets for my hair dryer. Speaking of a no hair dryer existence, I think I just figured out why the Mennonite womenfolk sport those hideous black bonnets ...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Remember my going mental a few months ago when my PC died? Nearly lost my wife on that one!
I totally understand, and in that respect, the Mennonites are lucky.
You are brilliant - the no hairdryer/bonnet connection makes perfect sense.
Dickey: It's amazing how dependent we've become upon our gadgets, isn't it? I feel so vulnerable!
Snooze: See? Blogs are good for some things ... up until I started blathering about the Mennonites, the virtues of those damn bonnets had never once occurred to me!
I have an uncle who trades a couple Mennonite men an hour of TV a month for 50 pounds of potatoes. As you can imagine, this is highly illicit in Mennonite communities, and has had the effect of bonding my uncle and these jack-Mennonites together in a bizarre MTV conspiracy. Their poor wives. How do you compare to Jessica Simpson in those simple dresses and hideous hats?
They put their hair in those black bonnets to dry it after they've washed it.
Call me old fashioned, I do not ever want a palm pilot. My life is not so complex that I need a thing-a-ma-jig to organize it though.
Coffeedog: You speak with such authority on the bonnets! Also, I don't think you're old-fashioned ... for many years I didn't even have a computer, but then I caved in. My life is pretty crazy though and I need to keep track of everyone's schedules so the Palm Pilot helps out. But I think I would much rather if I could go back to a paper and pen existence.
Chris: Welcome! And yeah, it is kind of scary how WIFI just seeps into our lives and takes over. Thank God for my cottage -- no computers, cells phones, etc. are allowed so it's always nice to get back to basics when I'm there.
On the one hand, I find the thought of a non-technology-dependent existence very appealing. These days, it can be difficult to find people who are actually capable of keeping themselves occupied without a constant stream of electronic stimulation. It's a little disturbing to be so dependent on an external force, when you think about it.
On the other hand, "no modern conveniences" means a never-ending stream of work (Think of how much effort it would take to do the laundry for a family of 10 every week ... by hand ... using a scrub-board and flat iron.) I'm not sure that's really any better ....
Oh yeah, and the thought of wearing a long-sleeved dress, petticoats and a bonnet in this weather makes me cringe!
And they make delicious jams, breads and pastries, and are also remarkable wood workers. By the way, I loved "A complicated Kindness".
Post a Comment