“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people with never forget how you made them feel”
Hospitality is the virtue of welcoming and treating guests or strangers with warmth, generosity and kindness. It goes beyond mere politeness, encompassing a genuine openness and a willingness to make others feel comfortable and valued.
Hospitality involves creating an inviting and inclusive atmosphere, whether in one's home, community or workplace. Hospitality is a bridge which fosters connections with a sense of belonging and mutual understanding.
Hospitality is the foundation stone for goodwill, trust and cooperation.
In order to be hospitable we have to cultivate empathy so that we can understand and anticipate others' needs. This encourages us to be open to celebrate, embrace and appreciate our diversity.
Hospitality is one of the guiding virtues of the On Being Civil Conversations Project. They say:
"Hospitality is a bridge to all the great virtues, but it is immediately accessible. You don’t have to love or forgive or feel compassion to extend hospitality. But it’s more than an invitation. It is the creation of an inviting, trustworthy space — an atmosphere as much as a place. It shapes the experience to follow. It creates the intention, the spirit, and the boundaries for what is possible. As creatures, it seems, we imagine a homogeneity in other groups that we know not to be there in our own. But new social realities are brought into being over time by a quality of relationship between unlikely combinations of people. When in doubt, practice hospitality."
C o n n e c t i o n s
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo