What does it mean to be independent?
For the longest time, I’ve stretched the notion of what I thought it meant to be independent, to the extreme. Avoiding reliance on others, trying to do everything myself, controlling all aspects of my well-being, you name it.
So where does one draw the line? I’ve realized that independence can be boiled down to one simple idea.
It is the freedom to choose.
The freedom of choice is where independence meets reality. So long as no one person or thing makes our choices for us, we are independent.
This idea of having the freedom to choose is fundamental to nations, communities, and any form of organization. It’s also fundamental to people and their self-governance.
But what good is independence if we don’t use our freedoms to serve others? Do we really just want our freedoms all to ourselves?
Interdependence
For the longest time, I thought being independent meant forging my own path, never asking for help, and doing everything myself (I’m still not great at asking for help).
That is independence taken to an ideological extreme. The reality is, unless I’m willing to go off the grid and completely provide for myself and loved ones with no outside help, I am reliant on others in some fashion.
The web of interdependence is unavoidable. We are all connected and tied together.
I’ve realized that interdependence is not weakness. It is a beautiful thing. Human collaboration is the only reason we’ve made it this far as a species.
This all ties back to Adam Smith’s ideas around the invisible hand.
Smith proposed that individuals, acting in their own self-interest within a free market, unintentionally promote the collective good.
I do what I’m good at, you do what you’re good at. This gives us both more time to focus on being great at what we do so we can provide more value to each other.
This division of responsibilities is where the beauty of interdependence lies.
Imagine if I tried to do what I’m good at, while also trying to do what you’re good at. All of a sudden, I’m only half as good at each thing.
What are we doing when we hire someone for a service or purchase a product from a company? We are effectively delegating the problem to them so they can bring their solution to the table.
The only catch here is to ensure we don’t lose our intellectual broadness.
I’ll end with a letter Steve Jobs wrote to himself in an email that was later discovered after his passing.
“I grow little of the food I eat, and of the little I do grow I did not breed or perfect the seeds.
I do not make any of my own clothing.
I speak a language I did not invent or refine.
I did not discover the mathematics I use.
I am protected by freedoms and laws I did not conceive of or legislate, and do not enforce or adjudicate.
I am moved by music I did not create myself.
When I needed medical attention, I was helpless to help myself survive.
I did not invent the transistor, the microprocessor, object oriented programming, or most of the technology I work with.
I love and admire my species, living and dead, and am totally dependent on them for my life and well being.”
Steve Jobs