Hospitality, What's That?

Here's a thought/email response I had to John about my experience in Turkey concerning the concept of hospitality. It is added to, but hopefully makes one think.

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Setting: Istanbul (population: almost 13 million, in Istanbul alone)-At the last dinner together as a study-tour group. This dinner is a culmination of a month in western Turkey (the less hostile towards Christians side of Turkey). We are in a seafood restaurant that we are familiar with. There is a man who walked into the restaurant with a tray of clams. This man is going around selling the clams to the patrons, and a few of us at our table take the offer. Our tour guide Aydin (eye-din [like dinner]) is walking around as we are being served our last course before dessert. And a few of us have questions for him, so we catch his attention as he is surveying the group and looking to meet our needs if they are there and unsatisfied.

Story Goes: A classmate, a fellow table member (across from me), of mine pipes in, 'so Aydin, what is with this guy with the clams? Does he work here? Or is he a street vendor? Is that normal here in Turkey?' Aydin responds, 'Yes, yes! No, he doesn't work here. This is quite normal. That is his catch of the day. His wife is probably preparing these clams at home and he comes to the local restaurants to sell them to the costumers. This isn't a problem here, its normal and the money he gets will support his family. We have a real symbiotic relationship within our society. Between restaurant owners and those who don't have a one. Restaurants don't mind this either, it's like a family here, and they are both just trying to serve the costumer what they want.'

'Huh.' We are all baffled at the idea and the lack of food codes. This wouldn't work at all in America we reflect later together. But there's more.

Another classmate continues, 'yeah, I mean here we are at the end of the trip and throughout the trip it was really hard for us to spot the homeless in your country. So we were wondering, do you have a large population of homeless here? Or is that a problem? Are there organizations that help them out or what?' Aydin responds, 'well that's interesting friends, because we really don't have homeless. If someone needs a bed-they are taken in. If someone needs a meal-they are given one. If someone is in need, they are treated like family. We just don't have homeless here; it is a concept that is foreign to us.' We are all impressed, even if it sounds too good... after all, I didn't see any myself.

And then I remember something that Aydin said earlier in the trip-on the bus, 'Here in Turkey, hospitality is of utmost importance. We believe, in Islam, that if a stranger comes to your door, then it is Allah who sent them. So we give respect to Allah by being hospitable to any stranger we meet.' And it clicks. This is a societal idea, since Turkey is secular, this is just in their culture and thus it works. Of course it would be strange to attempt this off the bat here in America because we already have so many homeless. But my hope is there.

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When I returned to America I realized that this made a deep impression on me. I saw the homeless on at a local intersection and every time I passed my heart wrenched. Why don't we stop at all when we see someone homeless? Is it there stench? Are we in the belief that they can't possibly be truly homeless? I mean it's America, right? I actually had a short conversation with a lady at an intersection the other day who had this opinion, and therefore wouldn't even walk past someone on the street, or look in their eyes. But, can we be this cold? I'm not trying to say that we should all become hippies, or start the next World Vision. But, really? You can't even look at them in the face, even in spite of the possibility that they are on the street just to pay the bills? I don't want to be too critical, because i can ask myself the same if not similar questions. Why don't i stop and have a conversation with someone on the street? Or why don't i give them a meal? An orange? Banana? What have you.

But, I do think that there is a lost sense of hospitality in our society. And a strong sense of individual self-perpetuation, that shies away from the homeless man or woman, and gives not a care for the 'least of these'. But... wait, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' Matt. 25:45.

I don't want to make the wrong conclusion and say that solely because Turkey seems to have this down better than America, that they are a better country. Or that because an 'Islamic' country has it down better than a 'Christian' country, that one should forsake Christ and take up Allah's banner. This would be a catastrophe. But, I do believe that one can take a lesson from the people of Turkey who find this as a matter of course. Or, better yet, be challenged by the Word, and the fact that Christ calls us into obedience and to meet our neighbor... whoever it may be.