The Doors to Hospitality
Our country has always prided itself as being a charitable and giving nation. After World War II the United States launched the Marshall Plan in Europe which was responsible for bringing much needed aid and assistance to European citizens who suffered during the war. Once again after the terrible Tsunami in 2004 that hit the Western Pacific, the United States again offered lifesaving aid to Indonesia and to other nations.
So why can't we be kind to ourselves? Religious and philosophical traditions practiced within the United States would certainly argue otherwise in terms of what would be prescribed concerning care for one's neighbor.
Hesed in the Jewish Tradition argues for loving and caring for someone, in this case one's neighbor. You love someone purely for who they are, not with any strings attached, not with any expectation of reciprocation. Hesed is an unconditional love, care and regard which is given freely towards others.
Charitas in the Christian tradition would argue that humans should show charity, love and grace towards others just as Christ has shown charity, love and grace towards us. Once again, no one is keeping score here. There is no ledger as to what is being given out and what is to be repaid along with the interest.
Zakat is a Muslim tradition where followers of Islam are encouraged to pledge a tithe, ten percent of their income for the support of widows, orphans, the poor and the destitute in the community, in the "Ummah." There is an indebtedness that people must express to those who are less fortunate in order to fulfill the expectation of the greater community of faith.
Buddhism would encourage that all people need to recognize and affirm the sentience of all human beings in the world, " may all be luminous, may all persons be happy." There is emphasis upon expressing "loving kindness" towards others and to oneself.
Humanism preaches that all human persons have the capacity and the will to do good in the world and of behalf of society. Therefore, there is no need to rely on a divine being or presence in order to do the right thing. Humans, by definition are good and are capable of doing the right thing themselves.
With all of this wealth of religious, philosophical, moral, ethical traditions regarding how we care for others, why do we still persist in disregarding others? Why has selfishness and callousness become the new currency in our frenzied world? We have certainly seen the effects and the casualties of this mentality thus far in this current presidential election cycle.
Garrison Keillor regular advised his listeners on the radio to:
"Be Well, Do Good Work, Keep In Touch."
This credo speaks to caring for others along with caring for the self. Any of these doors could provide immense rich meaning and purpose for people. Some people will chose potentially one particular door to open regarding hospitality, others may chose more than one door and still others may opt to sample from all of the doors. There is no right or wrong way. There certainly isn't any particular one size fits all.
Charity, hospitality is good because it is good for the soul. Showing, demonstrating hospitality for others, especially to strangers, makes us better people. We are reminded again, using biblical language, that we once were also strangers living in a strange land.
May we chose to be generous and charitable to others and to ourselves, for the sake of our souls and for our world, this season and always.
May it be so.
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