People who live in the desert keep themselves fit in spite of the continuous heat and we would do well to learn from them and imitate their habits and customs. Since not only hot beverages are important but also the way they dress, we might try comparing their ideas to ours; in so doing we will be surprised to find that the desert people do not at all agree with our custom of wearing light clothing when it is very hot. On the contrary, in the desert they wrap themselves in loose woollen robes that are more like cloaks and keep their heads covered. Watching these people you can see that they feel comfortable and seem to suffer much less in the intense sunlight than we do when wearing tight clothes or swimwear. The loose robes protect the Bedouins wonderfully and we obtain the impression that they do not perspire. We give much too little thought to the fact that the sun’s intense rays are extremely damaging to anyone who has not sufficiently adapted to them. There is the danger of sunstroke, and sunburn can set off permanent or prolonged damage to the peripheral nerve and vascular systems.
The Bedouins do not feel the need to lie around motionless in the hot sun for hours on end; they do their work and moving around early in the morning or in the evening. We can also take a look at animals and their habits to see whether such exposure is beneficial. In fact, no animal, domestic or wild stays in the direct sunlight when it is hot, preferring instead to seek a shady spot or half-shade.
*1145/28/1*
