Back in ancient Greece hospitality was a fundamental, the reason for this is because Zeus believed that this would make you a better god/person. In fact if you weren't a good hostest Zeus would destroy you. A great example is in the odyssey even though Prince Telemachus has a heart obsessed with grief and is day dreaming he See's someone standing at the door and goes to greet her " Greetings , stranger! here in our house you'll find a royal welcome . Have supper first , then tell us what you need." This shows us that even though he is in grief he tries to make the people around him comfortable .(1.81.125)
But in today society its not a must , a prime example would be if a strager came up to someones door today , they probably wouldnt even get it or if they did NEVER would they let them in. This just shows us in ancient Greece life was much more enjoyable and people would help eachother out , instead of today people only wanting to help themselves.
I agree with Alex in the sense that hospitality has all but dissapeared in Western Society. If you walked through New York City and tried to talk to a stranger, they would either ignore or insult you. Part of the problem is the lack of trust that has developed for others; something that is unfortunately somewhat merited.
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