With friends, life is easier
In recent years, numerous studies have been conducted to discover What are the places in the world with the highest life expectancy? ; known as “blue zones”.
And the conclusion, almost always, yields the same results: the Nicoya Peninsula, in Costa Rica; the japanese islands Okinawa,** the Greek island of Icaria; Ogliastra, in** Sardinia; and the city of Loma Linda, in California.
Okinawa: Japan's best kept secret
But if we dig a little deeper, we will discover that these destinations include similar characteristics among themselves: are places near the sea, generally rural (which implies some exercise), where healthy and natural products are consumed but, especially, in which promotes the power of community.
“Aristotle already said at the time that the human being is a social animal”, psychologist Sebastián Mera tells Traveler.es. “The community factor brings numerous benefits to human beings, among them the protection capacity, sense of belonging (which boosts self-esteem) , or the eradication of loneliness” he continues.
And suddenly, many of us are wondering where that need is in today's world, especially in the West and its urban areas. Because Today's society, despite its straws and heart emojis, is still lonely. Although we do not recognize it.
We introduce ourselves through social networks that act as a made-up avatar, We test relationships through “matches” , and foster a sinister relationship between consumerism and self-realization. A Molotov cocktail that leaves a residue, at least, bitter: the inability to ask for help in a very demanding world.
“We live in an idealistic society and we know that it will cost a lot to imitate the retirement model of our parents and grandparents”, Sebastian continues. “If we add to this the uncertainty of the current situation, the future in terms of work, economy and social relations will change a lot.”
Two key elements to be happy? Nature and company.
This model of life, sometimes practical, other times bleak, draws a distant horizon that is not exempt from uncertainty. Especially when more than 2 million seniors live alone in our country, according to reports Geriatricarea.com.
Initiatives such as the cohousing , an increasingly embraced alternative when it comes to opt for a life or retirement in company , yes ok does not exclude any age range or social condition.
Cohousing: When life is easier among friends
Also know as "cohousing" in Spanish , cohousing is a type of intentional community of different private houses and grouped from different community spaces.
At the same time, the rules of coexistence are managed by the residents themselves from the first moment, as a counterpoint to the urban solitude that prevails in these times. Or rather, the answer to the typical “Shall we set up a town of friends?” that sometimes swarms in the air when we are fed up with the system.
“Cohousing encompasses numerous benefits” , tells Traveler.es Cristina Cuesta, founder of the Cohousing Spain platform.
“In terms of housing, it incorporates affordable cooperative models, while at the economic level it represents a cost savings for members . In addition, health is improved by living in social environments that combat depression or loneliness and of course there is also an ecological component in the form of low environmental impact housing,” she continues.
Shall we set up a town of friends?
“However, it is not exempt from difficulties either, since it encompasses new cultural, socio-sanitary or legal patterns yet to be developed."
A model that is spreading more and more throughout all Western countries, suggesting stories and anecdotes that adapt to new situations for example, the confinement we are currently experiencing because of the global pandemic.
“When I learned to ask for help”
Alan O'Hashi is a American documentary filmmaker over seventy years of age. After making different trips to conventions and film festivals, in January 2014 he was diagnosed with a type of fungal pneumonia similar to that of AIDS patients. Just at that moment, he felt that he could no longer be autonomous.
“I belong to a country, the United States, where asking for help is synonymous with weakness” Alan assures.
"That's why I decided to join a cohousing project in which we all own our own houses but where, especially, we can support each other: contribute with household chores , bring a neighbor by car to the hospital, or give each other the necessary care.
During the first few months, Alan was clear about “what” cohousing was, but not the “why” until shortly before plunging into a tunnel of uncertain light because of his illness. “Adapting the plug of cohousing to the plug of individualism is not easy” he continues.
Assisted by some of his neighbors, so far Alan has made the documentary Growing Old Gratefully: The Power of Community and Beyond writing on your blog about new episodes, including the pandemic (and consequent isolation) that the planet is currently experiencing.
“Shortly before the state of alarm was declared in the United States, we agreed to a series of recordings with advice about the different measures”, Alan writes.
“In my cohousing, several neighbors have isolated themselves after returning from a trip or suffering symptoms, but we still keep in touch meetings through the Zoom application, from where we have established a series of guidelines. Now we take care of each other, but we have heightened our sense of hypervigilance.”
And also, that of foresight: "In fact, right now I'm eating all the emergency food And if this continues I will have to eat all those snacks that I do not like very much” Alan writes. “That yes, we were very foresighted and we will not lack toilet paper”.