Rumspringa is an Amish word that translates as running wild. When Amish kids turn 16, they get to experience the big bad modern world and all its temptations. They can drive, drink alcohol, date, and get jobs. The hope is that the youth will get their fill of worldly indulgences, sate their temptations, and then return. Eventually, they have to make a choice to either continue living in the modern world, or get baptized (the Amish believe only an adult can be Baptized) and return to the Amish way of life.
For some, rumspringa is the mythological descent before the prodigal return; for others it is freedom, the chance to break away. Either way, the Amish as a culture have succeeded in creating a ritual that allows their young people, no matter what they decide, to be reborn in powerful and transformative ways.
But maybe it is the rite of rumspringa itself, the way it honours young people and affirms their unique transitions, that inspires so many to return and embrace a culture that gives them the respect they deserve.
|
