Syrians forced to return to nomadic way of life

The famous proverb of “Necessity is the mother of invention” certainly applies to the people of Syria who have been forced by the brutality of Assad and his allies into returning to nomadic way of life. 

Centuries ago, the Arabs were nomadic people traveling from place to place without architecture or possessions beyond what could be loaded on the back of a camel. 

In the 21st century, Syrians are not dependent upon camels as their ancestors were, but they are still limited to what they can either carry by hand, or load onto their motorized pack animals as they move from place to place trying to stay one step ahead of their enemies who seek to destroy them.

The richness of the nomadic culture of the past had always existed in the mind and was embodied in well-loved stories, in heroic memories of battles with rival tribes, in dreams of love and of the oases of paradise.

But the life in a nomadic way when it is born of necessity brought about by violence and brutality, and not of choice, is not an easy one. 

Those who are now forced to live in tents or caves or abandoned buildings once led normal lives with traditional homes equipped with kitchens and indoor plumbing and real beds to sleep in.

It has been said that if those who have spent their entire lives living in the creature comforts of the western world were to find themselves facing the same difficulties being encountered by the Syrian people today, they would never survive the test.

But the people of Syria are showing the world what they are capable of and that they deserve to be protected and given a chance to put their country back together under a government that respects and values them for the courageous and resilient people that they continue to prove themselves to be.