In 2021, Sol Wilder saw a problem with how men connected with each other, and he wanted to change it.
Study after study of heterosexual marriages* show the health benefits to men: they live longer, have fewer cardiovascular issues and are less likely to develop depression.
(*not enough data yet on gay marriages–sorry y’all!)
The theories of why are abound, but at the center of many of them is the relationship itself. Emotional support, shared activities, and social connection grant meaning and healing to our lives–the same things that American men have a hard time getting from each other.
So Sol, our speaker this month, hung up posters around Carrboro-Chapel Hill to recruit members to build a new community, a Men’s Group, where men would learn and teach each other to connect.
What happened next surprised even Sol. This month, he shares that story and what he sees looking back on the whole experience.