Ex-Amish Alaskan Homesteader Affirms Her Upbringing, Becomes An Internet Sensation

Elise Matson was never baptized in the faith that
nurtured her, so is not under the Amish ban. 

Elise Matson left her Amish community as a teenager, choosing to live off the grid in a remote area of Alaska in much the same way her family and her Amish neighbors still do in the rural Tennessee community in which she grew up. She still maintains ties to her family and continues to practice a simple lifestyle in spite of the notoriety of having gained over 1.2 million followers on Tic Toc, with many of the posts about her chosen lifestyle having gone viral. 

Aware of the many misconceptions people have of the Amish, she chose to use social media as a way of correcting some of the stereotypes that persist about the community of faith for which she still has a deep appreciation. Not all Amish are the same, of course, since there is no central authority that dictates their practices, and each Amish district is essentially self governing.

I'm sure the fact that her posts have generated so much interest is based on the realization of many that the technological and other innovations they have embraced have taken a heavy toll on the quality of their personal lives and their relationships with others.

Like any community of faith the Amish are far from perfect, but we would all do well to emulate some of the values of modesty, simplicity and peaceableness that many of them have maintained in their close-knit, community-based way of life. More of their kind could help save the planet and help ensure the survival of the human family.

Here is a link to some of her posts. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@elisematson/video/7114430356467518766

 https://www.instagram.com/p/C54krB9Jstg/?img_index=1