Thoughts on Gap Years and Amish People

Gap years seem like they could be a good choice for many high school graduates. They give students a chance to go out into the world and decide who they want to be in college and beyond. I thought it was interesting that some colleges promote gap year, since there is a possiblity that the students will land a job they really enjoy and decide not to go to college. Giving teenagers a year off makes more sense for the Amish. Their rumspringa is kind of a rigged experiment. The Amish teens who go through rumspringa likely don't know how to fend for themselves after living a life of simplicity. Eventually they will become homesick and come back, not knowing how to take care of themselves. The Amish life is the only life they had known, so it's highly unlikely they would abandon their Amishness and choose freedom over security.