Welcome.

Of the most ancient of rules our ancestors had, welcoming the stranger may be the most essential.

It was so normative that people always expected to be able to show up and be hosted. Much as in the south, where you have to have some sweet tea ready, just in case.

The principal, while so distant from us now, was also so indelible, that none dare mess around with it. You didn’t choose to not entertain today or ever. Which also made it, perhaps, the most socially-enforced rule of them all.

That we struggle with welcome is no surprise. But it also isn’t just about opening doors to strangers. It’s about hospitality, rejoicing in the company of others, slowing down to listen to their story, and making this more important than productivity. Which is deeply radical.