Stubborn Independence

The need at all to look at ‘Independence’ arose only when we reached third standard, where ‘lessons’ took the shape of a narrative. The trouble started only when we were asked to write an essay about ‘Independence’. We kids did feel the loss of our freedom when we were forced to ‘cook’ up something in our own words, and try to impress our teacher about our deep understanding of Independence. All that we knew was that our country was the only independent entity, and for that many people ‘struggled’ for quite a long time, sacrificed their lives even. But the history seemed almost similar before and after independence, when we looked at our ‘family’ stories down the past few generations. I was on the look out for any class mate who would manage to write something that really ‘touches’ upon the very concept of what that “independence” really means! Most of them reduced that part to transfer of ‘rule’. Somehow I had to keep that topic ‘open’ within me as a ‘pending-file’ for quite a long time.

Later, having stepped into adulthood, the manifestation of that ‘independence’ only seemed to add to confusions! Even that stupid swimming seemed an increased direct dependence on the water body, while the dependence was on something already afloat, during the process of learning to swim! It is not safe to ‘independently’ try to save a drowning person! In desperation, he would grip you tight, and unable to row, both would drown!

At work place, we are allowed to ‘independently’ handle a department! Independent charge of ministries means yet something else for politicians!

On “Independence-day”, the policemen are slightly lenient about violation of traffic rules, that gives a ‘feel’ of freedom to some who find those rules as a restriction of their fundamental right of freedom to do what they like!

At old age homes, elders insist on doing things ‘independently’ though the infirmities of physical health do not permit fatal injuries to be risked thus! It is this ‘stubbornness’ that the asker had perhaps in mind, when the question was raised. But, I inadvertently gave the ‘macro’ view in the answer.

Psn(11th August, 2010)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100804212647AAC6WTg
Do you consider a independent person to be stubborn at times when?
you see he/she falling apart but doesnt want no one to help, when you see that person really needs help.

My reply:
When we are quite 'liberal' about looking at 'evolution' of mankind, society, technology, etc, we inadvertently tend to isolate the 'person' from such view point, and mistake it to be stubbornness! But the observation does seem logically true, until we try to broaden our perspective a little bit.

That independence is a small growth, from total parasitical dependence, towards a deep recognition of inter-dependence. (To use as an example, man used to pluck fruits, kill animals for meat during that total dependence phase. Then, cultivation, preservation, propagation of food-oriented vegetation and even animals, evolved. The stubbornness persisted about mercilessly cutting down forests, using up natural resources, reckless polluting of the environment. We are struggling yet towards that dawn of 'deep' recognition of interdependence, when would eventually stop to think in terms of "trading" our own devised "entitlements" to pollute the environment! Even that 'trading' is indeed a stubbornness). We shall have to be careful, in not trying to 'brand' something as stubbornness, for instance, a soldier who insists on 'independently' guarding a post till adequate reinforcement arrives, is only recognising the lives of few others as more important, like his own, and his sense of sacrifice is a recognition of the independence of lives of others, rather than stubbornness to forsake his own.