With New Technology, Lone Wolves Have New Islands to Explore

Dan McDermott
Guest Contributor

In the spring of 1624 , English poet, scholar, soldier and cleric, John Donne, coined the phrase “No man is an island,” expressing the idea that human beings do poorly when isolated from others. Perhaps he was onto something. Nearly 400 years later, in an era of pandemics and sociopolitical confusion, the MDI Board of Directors have proudly initiated the “Advanced Island Project” (AIP) to help men overcome the effects of C-19 induced isolation.

The purpose of the project is to help men develop the skill-sets and personal resources necessary to overcome the alienating hardship of social distance, economic anxiety, depression, and the cancelling of the Pro Bowlers Tour.

Helping to launch AIP is a revolutionary Virtual Reality training technology that gives men the illusion of being a castaway on a remote uninhabited tropical island of their choosing.

Some of the Island choices include Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific, where survivors of “Mutiny on the Bounty” settled in 1790, as well as the equally historic and remote Island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic where men can walk the footsteps of the 1815 Napoleon in exile.

Although AIP Virtual Reality training was recently launched in New England, all divisions anticipate having the technology before the end of 2021.

Initial feedback from the Sons of Maine has been extremely positive, helping men get in touch with their more resilient inner child. Most of the positive reports came from men who had been dropped on their heads as children.

When asked about the benefits of a program supporting men living in isolation, MDI member I.M. Loner said, “Oh I didn’t notice anything different. What’s wrong with being isolated?”