What Do Blue Zones and Successful
Families Have in Common?
By Bill High
S
HE WAS JUST 24 years old. She leaned in and spoke
with passion, “Did you know we’ve been studying the
problems in our country, and almost everyone agrees that it
all points to the breakdown of the family?”
Sadly, the results of her study were not surprising. But I
was encouraged by the fact that this 24-year-old was engaged
and leading the charge.
With such a deep and pervasive issue as the breakdown of
the family, what can we possibly do?
Recently I’ve been reading a book by Dan Buettner
called The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer from the
People Who Have Lived the Longest. It’s a fascinating read
about Buettner’s study of the regions of the world that have
produced the most centenarians—100-year-olds.
I was struck by his chapter on the Sardinians. Sardinia
is an island west of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. To live
there is like a throwback to another era. Men still tend to
serve as shepherds, walking as much as five to six miles each
day. Their lifestyle is simple. Their diet is simple—bread,
cheese, vegetables, and occasionally some meat.
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They value laughter and community. They allow time in
their afternoons for a gathering of neighbors, a refreshing
drink, and storytelling. As you can imagine, that storytelling
leads to a shared story and shared laughter.
But there was something else that caught my eye. As a
society, they value the aged who are viewed as repositories
of wisdom. Grandparents have an active role in the fami-
ly. They participate in the education and training of grand-
children. They are the storytellers to the next generation. In
some cases, they live with their children, and as a result, they
receive better care for themselves in turn.
While I’m not suggesting this seemingly idyllic way of life
of the Sardinians is for everyone, some lessons about the
aged from the Bible are worthy of consideration.
• The value of the aged (Lev 19:32): In our fast-paced
society, perhaps we can slow down and acknowledge
the beauty and grace that comes with being elderly. It
takes a certain kind of life to make it that long—disci-
pline, moderation, and gratitude.