Sedentary
living versus Desert living:
"We
have mentioned that the Bedouins restrict themselves to the
bare necessities in their way of life and are unable to go beyond
them, while sedentary people concern themselves with conveniences
and luxuries in their conditions and customs. The bare necessities
are no doubt prior to the conveniences and luxuries. Bare necessities,
in a way, are basic, and luxuries secondary. Bedouins, thus,
are the basis of, and prior to, cities and sedentary people.
Man seeks first the bare necessities. Only after he has obtained
the bare necessities does he get to comforts and luxuries. The
toughness of desert life precedes the softness of sedentary
life. Therefore, urbanisation is found to be the goal to which
the Bedouin aspires. Through his own efforts, he achieves what
he proposes to achieve in this respect. When he has obtained
enough to be ready for the conditions and customs of luxury,
he enters upon a life of ease and submits himself to the yoke
of the city. This is the case with all Bedouin tribes. Sedentary
people, on the other hand, have no desire for desert conditions,
unless they are motivated by some urgent necessity or they cannot
keep up with their fellow city dwellers.
Sedentary
people are much concerned with all kinds of pleasures. They
are accustomed to luxury and success in worldly occupations
and to indulgence in worldly desires. Therefore, their souls
are coloured with all kinds of blameworthy and evil qualities.
The more of them they possess, the more remote do the ways and
means of goodness become to them. Eventually they lose all sense
of restraint. Many of them are found to use improper language
in their gatherings as well as in the presence of their superiors
and womenfolk. They are not deterred by any sense of restraint,
because the bad custom of behaving openly in an improper manner
in both words and deeds has taken hold of them. Bedouins may
be as concerned with worldly affairs as (sedentary people are).
However, such concern would touch only the necessities of life
and not luxuries or anything causing, or calling for, desires
and pleasures. The customs they follow in their mutual dealings
are, therefore, appropriate. As compared with those of sedentary
people, their evil ways and blameworthy qualities are much less
numerous. They are closer to the first natural state and more
remote from the evil habits that have been impressed upon the
souls (of sedentary people) through numerous and ugly, blame-worthy
customs. Thus, they can more easily be cured than sedentary
people. This is obvious. It will later on become clear that
sedentary life constitutes the last stage of civilisation and
the point where it begins to decay. It also constitutes the
last stage of evil and of remoteness from goodness. Clearly,
the Bedouins are closer to being good than sedentary people."
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