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I will teach you about Demȕtigkeit. . .
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. . . that is humility. Actually, we don’t know what is being communicated between these two parrots. But it does appear to be a one-way, top down conversation. Amish congregations are frequently bombarded with top-down messages proclaiming the godliness of humility. In fact, humility is so strongly emphasized that it sometimes seems a little "over the top." One could be forgiven for thinking that the Amish take pride in their humility

Cat with Hochmȕtigheit . . .
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. . . I mean pride. You are not welcome at my church with that red bowtie!

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     Writing an Amish Related Memoir

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I am Henry Troyer, the author of "Wunderlust Out Of Holmes County." It is my memoir. Since early in my life, I wanted an education, but getting an education would not be easy because I had a few strikes against me from the start. I did manage to get an education, and since then, I have had many remarkable experiences. Somewhere during my retirement, I felt the urge to write and share my life's story that I thought other people might find interesting, inspiring and uplifting. There was, however, one problem. I grew up Amish and they emphasize humility and modesty, which is some of the “Amish baggage” I chose to retain when I left the Amish.

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I learned that it is not easy to write a good and balanced memoir. My memory tends to be selective so that my memoir writing would be an exercise in self-aggrandizement -- a gross violation of Amish principles. So how would I write my memoir while remaining true to my notion of humility and modesty while avoiding the boastful and self-righteous pitfall? I also chose to emphasize truth and honesty in my life, which are also Amish traits.

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I believe I found an acceptable path somewhere between those two constrictions. I decided to discuss worthwhile and notable accomplishments, but to do so with brutal honesty, while not ignoring some of my weaknesses and failures. That required some personal discipline, which is sometimes in short supply in my life. May the reader judge whether I managed to write meaningfully while staying within my ideals.

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