Uniqueness is a gift of hospitality.
Forces of industrialization and globalization often produce a dull and droning homogeny of formulaic “safe” cookie-cutter processes and products. But surely we are moving past that, right? Because there is little reward in hospitality if everything is the same.
Hospitality - The friendly, generous reception & entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.
There is no real hospitality with out some degree of otherness. We are all connected, and in some sense, one. And the universe is expanding from a single point of origin into every direction of fullness. We are each on a particular ray traveling out in our own direction, creating that fullness. As we each differentiate in our paths, we create a ray of singularity, a uniqueness, that can be worth visiting. So paradoxically, the more differentiated we are (while still warm and attractive), the more richness and value we can offer to the other who may visit us, the more hospitable we can be.
The proof is in our (Michelin) stars
If you need more evidence of the heights of value created when people embrace the direction of singularity, watch the Netflix series, Chef’s Table. Notice the underlying theme in nearly every episode: the alchemy happens when chefs embrace the uniqueness of their distinct part of the world and their personal story. Their work reaches the next level when they create something new from the ingredients most unique and closest to them.
Creating places of rich hospitality
Notice how much more exciting it would be to travel to the places below because they are each so unique. They are all (theoretically) made of local, minimally processed materials yet they have used these same raw ingredients to create deliciously unique habitats worth visiting.
