Amish killings?

[expat]

I don't give a rat's patootie for any of it, but I will say this:  Any society that can raise a young person to be this giving is worth paying attention to.  

My god, what I wouldn't give to have children this centered...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/06/amish. ... index.html

But being Amish and only 13, did she really have an understanding for what she was saying when you take in to count that they have no TV, radio or links with the outside world. A certian amount of self awareness would have kicked in, but a full understanding, that I don't know.

Matt

[Katahu]

But being Amish and only 13, did she really have an understanding for what she was saying when you take in to count that they have no TV, radio or links with the outside world. A certian amount of self awareness would have kicked in, but a full understanding, that I don't know.

Matt

At that age, I'm pretty sure they were well aware of what they were doing. I've seen 10 year-olds become geniuses in high school.

[Woodlouse2002]

At that age, I'm pretty sure they were well aware of what they were doing. I've seen 10 year-olds become geniuses in high school.

The problem with geniuses is that they might be able to do sums that a normal person might faint at the sight of, but put them in a normal everyday situation and they're absolutely useless. I wouldn't trust a 10 year old genius with anything. I'm much rather have a 10 year old simpleton that knows to do as it's told.

[Chris_F]

At that age, I'm pretty sure they were well aware of what they were doing. I've seen 10 year-olds become geniuses in high school.

But at 13 you're not really aware of your own mortality.  Sure, she probably knew intellectually what she was doing, but that's different from knowing what you're doing.  It's not an intellectual thing, it's a maturity thing.

[Flt.Lt.Andrew]

Chris is right, there. She probably didn't really appreciate what she was saying.....



A.

[Wing Nut]

Bullshite...  She new exactly what she was doing and if anyone says differently, then they (respectfully) are diminishing these girls courage and sacrifice.  Do you think the second girl didn't realize what she was getting herself into after she saw the first one killed?  Yet she did it anyway.  Just because we cannot picture ourselves making the same sacrifice, does not mean that someone else would not do so.  

Let me put this another way.  While I was being trained to pull double trailers, I had to spend three days in the cab of a truck with the biggest loudmouth bs artist you have ever seen.  According to this guy, he was a Marine Sniper, had killed hundreds of men and done just about everything up to and including beating the crap out of Donald Duck at Disneyworld.  All of it was clearly crap, but in these situations (and with this guy deciding my fate) you don't say anything about that.

The conversation eventually turned to what we would do in case of an accident.  There was a serious one at a country intersection we pass through frequently, and one of our trucks had collided with a car that ran a stop sign there.  Two women and their infant children were killed in the crash and I still see the photos in my head every time I pass through there.

Mr. Braggart was of the opinion that he would have just hit the car, rather than sacrifice himself to spare them, as no persons life was more valuable than his.  My reply to that was simple:  'I can think of worse ways to die than saving the life of two children"

You know, I didn't hear a peep out of that guy for the next twenty minutes?

[Wing Nut]

And BTW, I can honestly say right now that I am 42 years old, and this is one of the most moving things I have ever seen anyone do ANYWHERE...

[Katahu]

But at 13 you're not really aware of your own mortality.  Sure, she probably knew intellectually what she was doing, but that's different from knowing what you're doing.  It's not an intellectual thing, it's a maturity thing.

Who are we to say that she didn't know what she was doing? We never knew those kids. They were raised by civilized folks with moral and ethical values and principles that far surpass anything else I have seen in my lifetime and their system is completely incorruptable compared to every other system on this planet.

For all we know, maybe she did know what she was doing both intellectually and litterally or maybe not. I don't know any better than you guys. Your guess is as good as mine. But one thing is certain. We never knew those girls [none of us did], so who are we to say what they really thought what they were doing?

[Hagar]

I haven't seen any of this on the TV but just a couple of comments. We seem so deperately short of heroes these days that the media takes every opportunity for creating some. No disrespect to the Amish people or those tragic young girls caught up in this terrible event. I can't begin to imagine what they went through & I doubt that many of us can.

As for whether young people can have an understandiing of what they're doing, I was brought up in the late 1940s early 1950s when things were very different to what they are now. I was 13 in 1956. You might say that we were innocent & naive compared with the average western child now. We also had a sense of responsibility from a very early age. I was responsible for my younger brother & was trusted by my parents to look after him. Although I sometimes hated the little b****** I would have defended him against all odds, sacrificing my own life to protect him if necessary.

[Politically Incorrect]

I would have defended him against all odds, sacrificing my own life to protect him if necessary.

This is the way I have always felt about my family.

And this is the way Amish people teach thier families to protect and respect each other. They are a simple community with values that most people don't have, they are a tight community that respect each other and watch out for thier own. In the Amish world at the age of 13 a child is already prepared to be a "adult", handle responsibility and care for others. They work for thier livelyhood and thier family all along with schooling. Something that most others never have at that age, and unfortanately never at any age.

The average 13 year old child knows none of that, they are to busy worrying about themselves, too lazy to lift a finger to help another, too lazy to work etc. The only thing on thier mind is how soon before they can turn on the TV or play a video game.

What that girl had done was something that they learned early on in life and that is to watch out for thier own.

A simple way of living with simple common sense values, a way of life where you put others before yourself. How the world would be so much a better place if more of us were this way.

Her acts set a fine example of how selfish all the rest of us are, maybe we all can learn something from her actions

Criticize or doubt her actions all you want, but why don't you first think about what you would have done in her situation, my guess is you would have hunkered down in the fetal posistion crying like a baby pissing all over yourself instead of realizing the ultimate outcome and tried to take a stand and possibly make  a difference.
Your "No Fear" attitude is nothing when your confronted with a real life situation. You see it all the time now with kids now days, they walk around all rough and tough but when a situation arises they run like the selfish cowards they are.

[Chris_F]

I know we all love a stoy like this.  But I remember being 13 and I wouldn't have trusted my 13 year old self with such a decision.  Would this girl have done the same if she was 30?  Would I do the same at 30?  I don't know.  But certainly age has an influence in this type of thing.  At 13 you just don't know mortality yet.  I don't know what you guys were doing at 13, but I was doing stuff that would scare the life out of me today.

[expat]

I don't know what you guys were doing at 13, but I was doing stuff that would scare the life out of me today.

Probably learnt whilst watching the A Team. A couple of million rounds fired and no one shot  :)

Matt

[TacitBlue]

I think at age 13, if I were in that situation, I would probably have been paralyzed by fear. But I know for certain that had I been in that room in my present state of mind and age (23), that gunman would have to shoot me. In my mind, YOU DO NOT hurt a child. That philosophy would probably have gotten me killed.

[Katahu]

[quote]I know we all love a stoy like this.

[Flt.Lt.Andrew]

Jesus Others Yourself.


A.