Nomad Historical Figures

This article will discuss and introduce prominent historic Nomadic leaders and notable travelers. There are two main categories of Historic Nomadic leaders we can identify- The spiritual leaders, and the explorers.

Starting with the Spiritual leaders, suprisingly, the Planet’s greatest Religions were conceived by leaders who were on a nomadic journey, as it seems that being on the road allows a special connection to god and spirituality. The fathers of these many religions such as Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Muhammad, and Jesus did not simply encounter god in the comfort of their homes.  This highlights the possibility that in order to achieve enlightenment, one must not be confined to a single place. For example, Sufism holy books claim that among prophets who have to stay in specific locations in order to tune to God’s message, one will be constantly traveling. So, next time you fight a holy war for whatever religion you believe in, ask yourself why are your leaders all settled down in their homes, and why land is so important if our leaders met god in the middle of nowhere.

Abraham is a prime example, a person who had been ordered by God to leave his home and comfort zone and without being given a destination. Most of his communication with God happened on-the-road, which demonstrates the fact that the journey is much more important than the destination.

Moses journeyed to the top of Mount Sinai where he then spent forty days and forty nights transcribing the Torah from the words of God.  Once again, the element of leaving a stable environment to throwing oneself into the unknown to achieve enlightenment is repeated.

Jesus also traveled around constantly between Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and various caves in the Dead Sea region with majestic stories being told about him wherever he went. This is another example of switching locations to spread the word of god, and go through the deepest experiences one can have.

Muhammad has received the Holy Quran while on the move. His first encounter with god was during the night in a cave. The miraculous night journey on a winged steed is another occurrence of spirituality happening far away from home.

Maybe the best example of a nomadic leader would be Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). Siddhartha was a rich prince who decided to leave home and his comfortable life to become a nomad without any possessions.  He felt that his palace life kept him away from the truth of the world. Buddha just wantedered in search of connection and awakening until finally attaining enlightenment in Bodh Gaya.

Moving away from spirituality and religions to notable explorers and travelers who embarked on a nomadic journey.

Marco Polo is a more modern time traveling leader who has adopted a nomadic lifestyle. Mr. Polo couldn’t care less about the concept of home and went as far as he could, until reaching China which was until then virtually unknown land. His epic nomadic travels lasting 24 years rightfully earn him the title of a nomadic icon and leader.

Christopher Columbus who was inspired by Marco Polo is another great example of a nomadic leader who have changed the planet by discovering America, the world’s current empire and engine of western culture. His voyages into the unknown set another example of how nomads can affect the world in the deepest way possible.

Ernest Hemingway is a more recent example of a nomadic leader. The talented writer just couldn’t keep in one place, and wrote his best work while covering the Spanish civil war, his Cuba home, Paris and Idaho. Life is too short for a great writer to stay in one place.

What does the future hold for nomadic leadership? It seems nomads leaders appear in two different ways. The first, spiritual leaders forming new doctrines of life (religions). The other are nomadic explorers who aim to uncover the unknown and go as far as possible. Space exploration will probably allow a new generation of nomadic leaders to emerge, while nomadic spiritual leaders will also be a blessed addition to a world suffering from bloodshed and lack of spirituality caused by people fighting for resources, instead of letting go and get back on the road.