Depending on the Past to Keep Pace With the Present

More people are opting for a salaried job in order to keep pace with the fast changing world.

Still, there are a few who have refused to get bogged down, and have clung on to what the ancestors taught them.

Fifty eight-year-old Umm Mohammed is one of those who is still loyal to the job and carries it out with utmost sincerity.

Although her children are occupying prominent positions in life, the lady refuses to betray her profession which according to her helped her to raise her children.

‘’I have been taking care of animals since my early childhood. It is not an easy job as you need a high sense of responsibilityto command the animals and protect them from dangers,” she said.

“There might be some who think that the job is low profile or useless. But then a job is a job and it does not matter whether it is big or small,” she pointed out.

Today’s generation are reluctant to take up such a job, she noted.

Talking about her routine, she pointed out, ‘’I usually start my day at dawn and come back home at sunset. I can’t spend the whole day sitting under a concrete roof. Staying under the shadow of trees and moving along the dusty roads and desert are better than the artificial air conditioners.”

Once back home after sunset, she dons the role of a mother taking care of her children. “Once back home, I take care of my home business and look after my children. My children today are grown ups and have their own families and kids,” she said.

She is a worried woman and talks about the deserts being polluted.

“It is not like what used to be in the past now. Things have turned back, particularly in the desert. During holidays, campers come here and leave hills full of garbage including plastic bags which harms both goats and trees,” she said.

Her eyes lightens up when asked about the dangers the domesticated animals face in terms of wolves.

“The goats have high ‘remote sensors’, something like the snakes. It is they who alert me if there is any lurking danger,” she said. The woman is sad that the profession is vanishing with each passing day. “None of my children thinks that it is a good job.

They are not ready to take it up and follow my steps. The new generations are always seeking quick and easy gains,’’ she added.