Hannah Orloff - American Camino Quote Discussion

 The hospitality industry is an interesting concept, since the roots of the word "hospitality" contradict what is achieved in the industry today. Hospitality involves, as the quote states in American Camino, "two strangers who remain strangers, one not swallowed up in the other, find a calling to respond in love, a giving of true hospitality, an act of grace." This quote from chapter 3 explains that hospitality involves providing to another person without expecting anything in return, it is essentially a gift or blessing for that receiving individual, and a act of love by the provider. An example of true hospitality happened to me while hiking the Appalachian trail for my class this past summer. Before leaving the town of Damascus, there was a man handing out ice cream sandwiches at the trailhead. I grabbed one from the guy, and only exchange outside of me receiving the sandwich was a "thank you" from me and a "good luck" from him. He provided no background of himself, not even his name, and had no expectation of me returning the favor to him at some later point in his life, because I still to this day have no idea who he was. That ice cream sandwich on that hot day leaving town was a gift with no strings attached, it was hospitality. In the industry, however, people have to pay in order to receive the services of "hospitality", which completely takes away its meaning in entirety. The point of hospitality is to commit a selfless act and expect nothing in return from the person receiving the service, but the hospitality industry does nothing of the sort. The name for it should change then, to something more along the lines of what is actually happening when staying at a hotel or eating at a restaurant, like the service industry. But the word service also alludes to the concept of giving oneself for the betterment of another, so maybe a different term should be used. True acts of hospitality are rare to come by these days, because any exchange other than not expecting anything in return can hinder the actual meaning. The exchange can be money, time, food, recognition, the same service just to the giver instead, or other things, which disrupts the true meaning. There's nothing wrong with these exchanges, but in the sense of calling it hospitality, it loses its effect. Only when giving and truly expecting nothing in return can an act be considered hospitality. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kip Redick Example of an Outside Reading Post

 Recently I decided to give the renowned masterpiece by Jon Krakauer known as Into the Wild  another read. Needless to say I was just as heartbroken as the first time I read this novel/watched the 2007 film. I felt the need to discuss the work here simply because I feel it relates to a lot of discussions we have been having in class. I mean think about it, a young man sets out across the country to explore creation as it was intended to be experienced. As the story progresses, I remember being left with a sense of wonder, even thinking things along the lines of "I wonder would what happen if I just decided to do this one day?" I feel it's common knowledge how this story ends by now, with the main protagonist passing away alone in the wilderness, no one around for miles due to accidentally ingesting a poisonous plant. Although I have previously discussed how nature is God's most pure creation and should be treated as such, I feel I need to address a differ...
Read more

Kip Redick Introduction

To post, click “new post” to start your entry, you will then be able to write your blog. Make sure to start the blog with your name and the subject of the entry. Blog entries will be considered informal writing assignments and as such will be graded more in relation to content than style. Blog entries will contain questions and answers to questions, as well as reflections which relate to daily classroom discussions, completion of exercises, and reading assignments. Any questions the student has when reading or completing assignments should be written in their blog. Reflections may relate to connections the student makes between discussions in this class and those in other classes, between arguments raised in the readings in this class and those raised in other classes or in informal conversations. Students are encouraged to apply the ideas learned in this class to activities that take place outside of the class. These applications make great reflections. The student should bring questi...
Read more

Book review- The Call of the Wild

 I read The Call of the Wild by Jack London a few years ago and read it a second time a few months ago. It is one of my favorite books, not only because it involves the wilderness, dogs, and wolves but also because of the bond between Buck and John Thornton. At the beginning of the book, we learn that Buck is taken from his home in California and was sold as a sled dog in the Klondike Gold Rush. I remember the book being difficult to read at times due to the abuse that Buck and the other dogs faced, but it also opened my eyes to how important it is to respect every form of life, including a dog’s. While he was cared for and treated well in California, his master, Judge Miller, treated him more as a friend rather than a beloved companion, hence the lack of homesickness expressed by Buck. Even though Buck was a suburban dog, there was always something different about him, he was strong, brave, and fierce. I loved how the book was told from Buck’s perspective, there was so much he did...
Read more