The North Carolina Mason

Page 14 The North Carolina Mason January/February 2018 ■ see LONGER LIFE next page By Chris Hodapp Freemasonry for Dummies Back in 2000, researcher Robert Putnam published his landmark book, Bowling Alone, in which he discussed problems in society that have only worsened in subsequent years: solitary lifestyles, civic disen- gagement, and the loss of what he defined as "social capital." All of that and more adds up to the overall collapse of communities and a functioning democratic society. In his book, Putnam asserted that when people have fewer friends, less personal contact with others, and remained isolated, their lifespans shortened. Well, a new Israeli study of people between 70 and 95 has just backed up Putnam's contention: the more you get out of the house, the longer you will live. And that could bode well for Freemasonry if we'd look beyond just Millennials for a while, and to the aging Baby Boomers who never joined anything in their lives before. From Reuters: For older people, getting out of the house regularly may contribute to a longer life - and the effect is independent of medical problems or mobility issues, according to new research from Israel. For study participants in their 70s, 80s and 90s, the frequency with which they left the house predicted how likely they were to make it to the next age milestone, researchers report in Journal of the Amer- ican Geriatrics Society. "e simple act of getting out of the house every day propels people into engage- ment with the world," said lead author Dr. Jeremy Jacobs of Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem in a phone interview. "We saw similar benefits that you'd expect from treating blood pressure or cholesterol with medicine," Jacobs said. "Social factors are important in the process of aging." At all ages, people who left home less frequently tended to be male, less educated and to have higher rates of loneli- ness, financial difficulties, poor health, fatigue, poor sleep, less physical activity, bladder and bowel problems, history of falling in the last year, fear of falling, visual and hearing impairments, chronic pain and frailty. e link between leaving the house and longevity, however, remained after the researchers accounted for medical or mobility issues such as chronic pain, vision or hearing impair- ment, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and kidney disease. "We included people who had mobility difficulties, so this isn't just about people moving their legs up and down," Jacobs said. "at's quite exciting. ere's something about inter- acting with the world outside that helps." Baby Boomers are retiring in massive waves now. ey haven't been joiners in the past, but their Dad or Grandpa was a Mason, and Masonic images and stories in the media (or their friendship with you, perhaps) just might set off a spark. Anecdotally, I'm seeing more and more men in their 20s and 30s bringing their 60- and 70-year-old Baby Boomer fathers into their lodges. at's never happened before in the history of this fraternity in enough numbers to take notice. What makes Freemasonry such a unique creation is the essential construct of all Masons being on the level, regardless of age, wealth, or social status. While we concen- trate on the religious and economic equality fostered by our rituals, the Ancient Charges, and customs of the lodge, that equality extends to age as well. In his book, Millennial Appren- tices, 24-year-old Brother Samuel Friedman cites a study that showed eight out of 10 millennials tend to believe that older generations have "higher morals," and 60 percent of them say they consult their parents for advice about adulthood. Being around men of all ages benefits everybody involved. e walls of a successful lodge are This generation of Masons already knows what the next generation will learn: Going to lodge makes life better. Photo by Melody McBride Going to lodge could extend your life

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