At some point in my early teen years I had a teacher who explained growing up as a series of stages. We begin as children dependent on our parents and other adults to care for us and teach us. Then, in our adolescence we work towards independence so that by the time we reach adulthood we can take care of ourselves. After that, however, comes a more advanced stage – interdependence – when we learn that it isn’t enough merely to pull our own weight. We have to consider simultaneously how our actions affect others and make choices that promote our mutual benefit.
In one sense this all seems rather obvious to me. Of course our final stage has to be interdependence! How else can we possibly live in a society cooperatively? Those who provide goods and services must do so honestly or they will eventually go out of business. Interdependence forms the foundation of good citizenship and neighborliness. It’s hard to imagine having a good marriage without it.
Despite being taught this years ago, I’ve never heard the word used much. We’re certainly aware of being a society that suffers from many false dependencies. No wonder that in a country founded on declaring independence we extol self-reliant leaders who seem to be masters of their own destinies. Yet, as a people, and as persons, shouldn’t we be striving towards interdependency?
People without faith often accuse believers of being dependent – using God as a crutch – a way to avoid independence. Yet, isn’t it the spirit (notice I’m not saying practice) of religion that we advance beyond independence to interdependence – what Jesus pronounced as the Golden Rule – that we love our neighbors as ourselves?
As Christians we know we need to depend on God. Why wouldn’t we lean on the only Being strong enough to support us constantly? But we also know the Lord commands us to be interdependent with our fellow humans. It’s the recipe for a good life.
I don’t think independence is actually on the menu.
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