You are all shepherds

9 January 2025
وفاء الطجل

A group of families rented one of the luxurious rest houses, which had separate lounges for men and women, playgrounds, swings, vast green spaces, a beautiful tent overlooking a wonderful sandy plateau with male and female services of course... etc. I won't bore you with the details, as it seems that the group had paid a sum (amount) for this vacation. Upon their arrival, they were welcomed with great hospitality, and immediately after coffee was served, tables were laid out with a variety of delicious foods and delicacies sufficient to feed an entire neighborhood. The group proceeded to eat with joy and happiness, the lounges were crowded and the plates were filled with food. After finishing, chaos reigned, and food scraps were scattered on the floor. Not only that, but there were broken cups and plates, bouquets of flowers that were picked and ruined... Don't blame them (the group paid!!). Now it was time for tea, which was served in luxurious silver utensils and (crystal) cups. What a shame! After a quarter of an hour, the plates made the little sweeties think they were playing UFO, so they started throwing tea plates like flying saucers from one end of the hall to the other. The supervisor couldn't stand it, so she stopped the service and tried to save what she could. She said to one of the mothers, warning them: Excuse me, dear, did you notice the little ones? May God protect them?!!

What do you want? Lock them up, let them play.


The hostess went out to the garden praying that the day would go well, when she saw another group of children climbing the tent and sliding down from its top towards the sandy plateau. She quickly went to tell one of the fathers and draw his attention to what was happening. He wasn’t surprised and replied: “They are young and playing, why are we making things difficult for them?!” This is not a fictional story, but a real story told to me by an eyewitness. You can imagine the sight of this rest house and the destruction it was in after they left it.


I wonder if they would allow these innocent games if the meeting was in their homes?

Or do they feel the rent paid justifies it?


Environmental ethics and awareness are not innate traits, but rather acquired from childhood. The responsibility for teaching them is shared between the home, school, community, and all socialization institutions.