Saturday, May 31, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Amish: A screen-free life with a focus on nature

The Amish fled persecution in Europe and found peace in America. After almost 200 years on the new continent, they are a rapidly growing group of people who have built their distinctive culture on a simple life away from the mass media noise of modern society. Instead, they put family and closeness to nature first - alongside God.

Published 9 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Some of the members of an Amish community in Blacksburg, Virginia.

This article was originally published on April 16, 2023.


The Amish have their origins in Anabaptism, or the so-called ‘Anabaptist movement’. Jacob Amman was part of the Mennonites in Europe who practiced a more literal interpretation of the Bible, including baptizing adults instead of children. Anabaptism emerged in the 16th century at a time when adult baptism was forbidden in Europe, which in turn led to persecution and even death for the Mennonites.

In the 17th century, Amman believed that the Mennonites had become too secular and created a separate movement named after him – the Amish. Among other things, Amman believed that communion should be held twice a year instead of once and suggested that men should wash each other’s feet to show obedience to Christ. Amman also believed that men should not shave their beards and that women should not wear dresses dictated by fashion. In the 1730s, the first group of Amish arrived in America to escape persecution in Europe and were promised religious freedom. In the 19th century, more Amish arrived and today Europe is virtually devoid of the group. However, smaller groups of Mennonites still exist in Europe.

Today, most Amish live in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana in the United States, but also in parts of Canada. There are several different Amish communities, and the way of life can differ depending on the community, with some being more conservative than others. In 2022, it was estimated that there were around 367,000 Amish in the US and nearly 6,000 in Canada, according to the academic website Amish Studies. There are also a few hundred Amish in South America. This appears to be a significant increase from 2018 alone, when the total Amish population was estimated at 330,000 individuals.

The group still speaks so-called Pennsylvanian, which is a kind of old-fashioned German. However, they are learning English in order to interact with the rest of the community.

Living as an Amish

One way to summarize Amish life is simplicity and harmony with nature. Part of their belief is that God wants people to respect nature and work closely with it, which they do. For one Amish family in Blacksburg, Virginia, as documented by RussianPlus, farming is a big part of everyday life and they are largely self-sufficient. Much of the time is spent growing, harvesting and caring for the animals. The family’s cow gives about 11 liters of milk per day and is milked by hand. The milk is drunk or used fresh and is therefore not pasteurized before drinking it.

– Pasteurized milk is not tasty, it’s like colored water, says one of the men in the family, laughing.

Laughter and smiles are particularly noticeable in this family, and the children’s eyes shine with mischief and play. Schooling takes place in the home but can be mixed at different ages, although it does not go beyond the eighth grade. As the children get older, they are encouraged to travel to see parts of the rest of the world so that they can make a mature decision about whether or not to live as Amish.

The family gathers to milk their cow by hand. Photo: facsimile/Youtube

The Amish describe God as the “ultimate doctor”, but modern medicine can still be used if necessary. However, you won’t find an Amish person seeking help for minor ailments, so more natural remedies such as vitamins, homeopathic remedies, health foods and chiropractors are used.

Clothing is simple and in the style of what was generally worn in the 18th century. Money is earned by selling vegetables and other items to the surrounding community. Tourism has also benefited the Amish as many people are drawn to the opportunity to see how they live and learn. The family in Blacksburg works on building furniture for sale and the women in the family also work in the small factory.

A common misconception is that the Amish do not use any kind of technology or other modernities. The more accurate view is that they are selective in their use and can use things that can benefit rather than harm. The Amish do not want to let technology run amok and become its slave, but rather seek ways to master it. For example, television, radio and computers – technologies that carry mass media – are not considered good for society. On the other hand, tools or household appliances can be used, but often batteries are used rather than pure electricity. Cars are usually not used, but rather the classic horse and carriage. The use of modern conveniences can also vary greatly between communities; for example, the small furniture factory in Blacksburg uses screwdrivers and other equipment to make work easier.

Family and faith

One of the core values of the Amish is family and community. They help and support each other, which is not only part of the lifestyle but also part of the very soul of their social life. This is hard to find in modern society where people often look past each other because they are constantly glued to screens. Although there are often more traditionally gendered roles in the home, women, for example, can be the breadwinners of the family and participate in decision-making in the household. However, the man is seen as the ‘spiritual leader of the home’ and the leaders in an Amish community are all men. These are called ‘servants’ in the local dialect and often consist of a bishop, two or three ministers and a deacon.

With the family in Blacksburg, Virginia, it is easy to see the connection they have with each other and that the family is about a common set of values where everyone is there for each other.

Children playing outside. Photo: facsimile/Youtube

An important aspect of the faith is the optional baptism at adulthood. Baptism is seen as a binding commitment to God and to live by the teachings of the Amish culture for the rest of one’s life. If you break that commitment and refuse to acknowledge your sins, you risk being excommunicated in the worst case scenario. However, you can always return – if you are willing to admit your sins and repent for them. However, excommunication only applies to those who have been baptized, so you cannot be excommunicated beforehand because you have not yet entered into a commitment with God.

In addition to baptism, communion is very important, a ceremony held every autumn and spring. It involves confessing one’s sins and remembering Christ’s death with wine and bread, then washing each other’s feet in song. During communion, it is also the only time that an offering is made with alms to the deacon.

There are no churches in the Amish culture, nor any grand altars or grand buildings. Instead, their religion emphasizes lifestyle and values such as humility, community, simplicity and submission to God’s will. Instead of churches, they hold services in each other’s homes every other Sunday. Over the course of the year, all members rotate and often there is a service in each member’s home about once a year, depending on the size of the community. On “free Sundays” people usually gather to read the Bible or they may travel to another district to attend a service.

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WakeUpTV aims to challenge the Nordic establishment media

Published 29 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
According to Oddane, the focus of the TV house will be on news and social programs as well as investigative documentaries and interviews.

The creators behind the WakeUpGlobe channel, the Nordic network WakeUpFriends, and the WakeUpConference announce that they are planning to build a new Nordic television network focused on “truth and awareness”.

The stated goal is extremely ambitious – they say they want to seriously challenge and offer an alternative to the major Nordic TV companies with their millions of viewers.

It’s time to build a new Nordic TV house under the WakeUpTV brand that can seriously challenge the big Nordic commercial and state-owned players, such as SVT, TV4, DR in Denmark, and NRK in Norway”, says founder Michael Oddane in a press release.

With WakeUpTV, we want to take everything to a whole new level, where we will operate in professional TV studios on a par with the major TV houses in an environment where the masses feel at home”, he continues.

According to Oddane, hundreds of millions of people around the world have lost confidence in the narratives broadcast by traditional channels and are instead looking for new alternatives.

We will create truth-focused and life-affirming TV that will both be a force for changing society for the better and help people develop both personally and spiritually”, he says.

“Traditional media obscures and distorts”

The plans began five years ago, and the property where the TV station will be built is located in a scenic area outside Lund. Two large TV studios, control rooms, and offices will be built on the property.

Initially, the TV station will have five permanent employees, and various external presenters will be brought in for different projects. It will launch its own streaming service but will also broadcast much of its content via social media to achieve the widest possible reach.

Our focus will, as always, be on uncovering the truth about what is happening in the world and sharing knowledge about personal and spiritual development. It is quite obvious that traditional media both obscures and distorts the truth, contrary to the mission they claim to have. They seem to operate largely according to the wishes of those in power and have lost their function as the third estate. Even spiritual and personal development seem to fall outside the scope of public service and commercial television, which is highly remarkable”, Oddane continues.

Holistic health and alternative medicine

WakeUpTV will also focus on areas such as holistic health, alternative medicine, and treatments – but not on sports or pure entertainment programs.

There will be news-related and socially oriented programs, investigative documentaries, and interviews. There are also plans for debate programs and talk shows with live audiences and, as I said, a separate section where we will share knowledge about spiritual and personal development together with a large number of Nordic actors. Everything will be packaged with high production values”.

Oddane is now trying to attract investors – both micro-investors and those who are willing to invest larger sums. However, it is currently unclear when the TV station is expected to be ready and start broadcasting programs.

Israel’s Eurovision public vote record sparks suspicion of coordinated campaign

Published 20 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Israeli representative Yuval Raphael performing at this year's Eurovision.

Israel’s contribution to the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 has become a hot topic – not only for its performance, but also for the record-high number of votes from the audience. Now, suspicions are growing that organized campaigns may have influenced the result.

According to the Schibsted newspaper SvD, both experts and Eurovision fans have reacted to Israel receiving so many votes from TV viewers. Israel’s representative Yuval Raphael won the public vote by a large margin, but Austria took home the final victory thanks to higher scores from the jury groups.

As in Malmö last year, Israel’s entry was controversial even before the final, mainly because of the ongoing war in Gaza.

It is worth noting that Yuval Raphael survived the Hamas attack at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, and she says that the experience has shaped her and her entry, “New Day Will Rise”, which she believes carries a strong message of hope and reconstruction.

EBU will investigate

According to SvD, there are suspicions of coordinated efforts on platforms such as Telegram, Facebook, and X, where users have shared instructions on how to vote from different countries and use VPN services to circumvent geographical restrictions.

Similar patterns have been seen in previous years, but this year’s mobilization is described as unusually extensive. There have also been reports of automated bots and paid advertisements targeting the Eurovision audience.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the contest, has confirmed that it is following up on the information and analyzing voting patterns. In a statement, the EBU says it has advanced systems to detect and stop cheating, but that it always reviews its procedures after the contest.

Journalist asked critical questions about Israel – banned from Eurovision

The situation in Gaza

Published 15 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Journalist Szymon Stellmaszyk, banned from Eurovision 2025.

Polish journalist Szymon Stellmaszyk has been denied accreditation for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Basel. He believes this is due to a critical question he asked Israeli artist Eden Golan last year – something the EBU denies.

Szymon Stellmaszyk has covered the Eurovision Song Contest for 20 years and runs both the Facebook page “Let’s talk about ESC” and the industry website “Radio Newsletter”. This year, for the first time, he has been denied accreditation to cover the contest in Basel.

The background, according to Stellmaszyk himself, is a critical question he asked Israel’s contestant, Eden Golan, during Eurovision in Malmö last year. He asked whether Golan, given the political situation and the war in Gaza, thought her presence could pose a security risk to other participants and the audience.

The question attracted attention and was criticized by some, but Stellmaszyk emphasizes that it was not intended to be offensive or “anti-Semitic”. In an email to Stellmaszyk, which the Swedish state broadcaster SVT has seen, the EBU justifies its decision by saying that the platforms Stellmaszyk uses do not have sufficient reach.

“Restriction”

Szymon Stellmaszyk himself is convinced that the EBU is making excuses and that it is in fact about the question he asked last year.

– This is some kind of revenge and, in practice, a restriction of freedom of expression, he says.

It should also be noted that this year’s EBU media handbook contains a new rule stating that published content must be “respectful” towards Eurovision and the EBU. Eurovision boss Martin Green says the wording is unfortunate and promises that it will be reworded for next year.

At the same time, he does not want to comment on individual cases, but points out that there are a limited number of places for journalists.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will be held in Basel, Switzerland.

Bizarre children’s series described as “digital drug”

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 10 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The characters of the children's series Cocomelon with its abnormal proportions.

The children’s series Cocomelon attracts young children around the world with its colorful animations and catchy songs. Despite its enormous popularity, criticism of the series is growing, with some warnings that its extreme editing could have a very negative effect on children’s brains.

More and more parents and experts are questioning the extremely fast pace of Cocomelon and whether the mass-produced style is really good for young minds, or whether it risks overstimulating children and making them restless.

One of the major objections to Cocomelon is its rapid editing technique, where camera angles change every two to three seconds. This is a hectic and exaggerated pace that is unfortunately all too common in modern children’s entertainment, but here it is taken to a new level.

According to a study by PubMed Central (PMC), the executive functions of 4-year-olds, such as self-control and working memory, are at risk of being severely impaired after being exposed to fast-paced clips for too long.

Many parents also report that their children become agitated after watching children’s series such as Cocomelon, and there is plenty of criticism on social media platforms such as X.

Mass-produced aesthetics

Other research also indicates that rapid camera and clip changes can negatively affect young children’s concentration. The fast pace is no accident either. Cocomelon is designed to capture children’s attention, but some argue that it now goes too far.

According to Findmykids.org, the constant impressions can trigger dopamine release, causing children to seek the same quick rewards even outside the screen – something that can make it harder for them to focus on calmer activities such as reading or playing.

In addition to the pace, the series’ aesthetics have also been criticized. Like most animated productions today, the characters have disproportionately large heads and overly cheerful expressions, which some find unpleasant.

For many parents and viewers, it feels like the series is made on an assembly line where quantity takes precedence over quality, resulting in an aesthetic that is more frightening than charming.

Opinions are divided

Unlike traditional cartoons such as Scooby-Doo, Cocomelon is animated in a way that prioritizes quantity over quality, which is evident in the disproportionate characters and the assembly line feel.

Opinions about Cocomelon are divided. Some experts, such as Rebecca Cowan at Walden University, argue that there is insufficient evidence to single out Cocomelon as the problem – instead, it is total screen time that may be harmful.

– Without empirical research on the show Cocomelon, there is no data to substantiate claims that this show is overstimulating due to the pace of the scenes, she says.

But others warn that the series’ pace and overstimulating elements can have a very negative impact on children’s development, especially in terms of concentration and calmness.

Cocomelon may seem like an easy solution for entertaining young children, but it is worth considering what the fast pace and mass-produced style do to young viewers.

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