Xenia

Xenia was the Greek value of hospitality, and literally translates to "guest-friendships". Zeus was sometimes referred to as the god of travelers. Because Zeus was such a powerful god, xenia was thought of as an obligation, enforced by powerful Zeus. Xenia was something that was expected of Greeks by not only Zeus, but most of the Greek gods. Xenia included many specific requirements , some of which were allowing strangers into your home without question, offering them a place to rest, entertainment, questioning each other, food, bath, etc. To any person in modern times, this sounds completely unthoughtful. Is there any logical reason anyone would act this way for a complete stranger. Gods would often use disguise to test the Greek people. For example, in the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, when Demeter was wandering around the world, searching for her lost daughter, she disguised herself as an old woman. At one of the homes she stayed at, she looked after a young baby boy. Demeter was in the process of making him immortal. This process involved strange rituals, which were effective. However, one night, when Demeter was in the middle of one of these "rituals", the mother of the child walked in on her, showing her distrust. In a rage, Demeter told the mother what she had just done, what she had just interrupted. Demeter angrily told the mother that her son was so close to becoming immortal, but he would not ever be. She told the mother that she was violating the code of xenia, and this was her punishment. Another example of the principle of xenia in ancient Greek stories was the story of Odysseus and Polythemys, the Cyclops. The cyclops showed no hospitality to Odysseus and his crew, especially because he eats six of his men. His punishment was getting stabbed in the eye by the clever Odysseus, who also convinced the cyclops his name was "Nobody". Therefore, when Polythemus called out for help, no one came to his aid. The logical interpretation of these stories is that if you do not exhibit xenia on a regular basis, you will eventually be punished by the gods. Obviously, the value of xenia has "died down" extremely since those times, the expectations not expected. Why do you think that the expectations of xenia have decreased so much since the Greek myths were written? Do you think it is still important to show hospitality to guests, even if they are strangers? Do you think that in the time of the Greek myths, there were exceptions to the unwritten rule? Are there any reasons why xenia does not exist modernly?