Dear Dedicated Members for Change,
In the year 2000, Robert D. Putnam wrote a book called "Bowling Alone." It was subtitled "The Collapse and Revival of American Community." Putnam did a great deal of social research, and in his book he contended that civic life in America was collapsing because Americans aren't joining groups, clubs and organizations like they once did. He likened it to the decline of bowling. Putnam suggested that since 1980, league bowling had dropped some 40 percent, yet individual bowling had increased.
What can Odd Fellowship learn from "Bowling Alone?"
We can actually learn a great deal about our fraternity.
No one disputes that society has changed since the 1980's and continues to change around us. The change in society has accelerated in a dramatic way since we went digital. The Internet altered everything. The younger generations are constantly on their cell phones, tablets, laptops and desktops engaged in communication through email, Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Linkedin, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, WhatsApp, Wechat, Messenger, Telegram, and dozens more social media platforms. In addition, there are hundreds of digital games that people play on their devices. Now, most members of Odd Fellows Lodges are in their 60's and 70's and 80's and have never used most of those platforms (and, in fact, may never have even heard of some of them). But, I assure you that folks in their teens, 20's and 30's do use those platforms, and some essentially "live" on them, spending the great bulk of their day on a digital device of some kind or another.
And that's the point. We bowl alone. We no longer bowl with a team.
But that begs the question of whether there remains a deep desire to be part of a team, rather than dwell in digital isolation. And I believe that there remains a strong desire for men and women to be part of a team. We human beings are, after all, social animals. The desire to bond with others is inherent in our DNA. The increasing digital isolation of the 21st Century must, eventually, give way to the desire to bond with other like-minded individuals. Odd Fellowship can be there as an option for folks who might be ready to come out of the isolation of their digital devices. But in order to do so, Lodges must be more visible in their communities, and must also offer social options which appeal to men and women who are coming out of that digital room. After all, we espouse friendship, love and truth, and we seek to elevate the character of man. These are noble and desirable goals. We have to translate those lofty goals to the reality of our streets and towns. Our ritual makes us uniquely Odd Fellows. But we can't just rely on the ritual to bring in new members. Lodges will succeed (and will add members) in the 21st Century when they offer more than just sitting in a Lodge room reading ritual from a red book.
So, the successful and growing Lodges will be those that offer members the opportunity for social interaction. That means offering activities and committees that organize movies, hikes, game nights, trivia nights, dinners at the Lodge, line dancing, Halloween parties, visits to wineries and breweries, pancake breakfasts for the community. And yes, perhaps even bowling with a team.
F - L - T
Dave Rosenberg
Past Grand Master
Jurisdiction of California
