August 23, 2008
-
What does being independent mean to you?
Literally, being independent means not relying on anyone else for anything. To me, real independence is practically out of reach. Interdependence is about the most I can manage. Even if the social, economic, commercial and personal networks I now depend on were to collapse and I had to forage for my food, for a while (perhaps for the rest of my life) in that post-apocalyptic world, I would be snaring hares with steel guitar strings manufactured before the apocalypse.
That is an extreme view. Now I’ll get a bit more real. I am reasonably independent now in matters of opinions and decision-making. I make up my own mind. Within the limits of the law and limitations imposed by my family obligations and my personal health and physical capabilities, I am autonomous, self-determined, and free to choose what I do.
I think I may need somewhat more of that kind of independence than most people do. I have been led to that conclusion by observing the way most people live, in cities where the culture closes in on them and robs them of their autonomy. I knew long ago that I couldn’t live happily that way, and gave up some of the “advantages” of civilized life, such as a job and little things like running water and indoor plumbing, to live on the edge of Alaskan wilderness. In that sense, being independent means everything, life itself, to me.
I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!
