Is a 25-35 year old guy too old to join a fraternity?
The boys from the movie 'Old School.' A graduate level fraternity?
I’m not exactly sure. Precisely the reason why I would like your input.
Now, I am not talking about the type of fraternity so vividly portrayed on the silver screen. You know the one: college guys living in a big house spending most of their time partying or trying to get laid.
Instead, picture this: a group of professional young men in their 20’s or 30’s that gets together to network, share ideas, hold each other accountable and, dare I say it, develop deeper friendships.
Instead of living together in a house this group meets over coffee… or beers… or after playing touch football outside.
And here is the key: instead of just talking about sports, women, and cars, they also talk about deeper things.
Like dreams. Or vision. Or their big, hairy, audacious goals. Or maybe the contribution they want to make in the world before they take their last breath.
And sometimes they talk about their doubts and fears – where they get stuck or bad habits they just can’t seem to shake.
In other words, a band of brothers – guys that have a lot of fun together but also talk about the important things and aren’t afraid to be vulnerable and admit to weaknesses.
I think it could work.
What do you think?
There are such fraternities. You probably have heard of them. The Freemasons, Elks, Knights of Columbus, Knights of Saint George to name a few.
Right now most of them are trying to recruit guys in their 20’s and 30’s. Some of them also recruit women as well.
Additionally, they do a lot of charity work.
Thanks, Andrew – are you a member of any of these groups? If so, do you think they do a good job of catering to a young man?
Definitely. I am in a men’s group, we meet to do psychological / emotional / spiritual work and support each other. I am also in a “mastermind group” of men who are engaged in ambitious career goals. Lastly, I have my bourbon and cigar buddies, it’s just social, but we also talk about the important stuff in our lives, not just sports and beer.
I think it’s a great idea. That’s a fraternity I would be interested in joining.
Awesome, Dave – what if you had one group that did all of those things??
The ManKind Project ( http://mankindproject.org/ ) is a good group. I belong to a NeoPagan religious fraternal organization ( brotherhoodofthephoenix.org ), and several of our members have done the New Warriors project.
I suspect there are a lot of different types of fraternal groups out there that haven’t even been mentioned. What you’ve described sounds more along the lines of a combination social club and personal development workshop group.
For anyone who hasn’t been part of a fraternal organization of some sort, I definitely encourage it.
Thanks, Theo. I appreciate your input.