The Lure of Independence

Frank Sinatra famously sang “I did it my way”. The ideal of the person who independently made it on their own holds sway in our collective imagination. To be independent is to be free – free from the constraints imposed by others that limit what we can do. Independence can also imply the freedom that comes from not being dependent on others. When we can live without assistance, unencumbered by ties of money or reciprocity, we also think of ourselves as free – free to become and be what we want to be. Amartya Sen, a Nobel Prize winning economist, says this is the highest goal of society: to create the conditions where people can develop and use their unique gifts to reach their fullest potential according to their own aspirations.

But is it possible to achieve our fullest potential in isolation? According to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, human beings are naturally intended to live in community; it is only in community that we can reach our highest potential. To belong to a community is to be human, while to be deprived of a community is to be deprived of a fundamental aspect of our humanity – to be dehumanized. So, we gravitate to community and accept the responsibilities and limitations this may place on our individual freedom so that we might thrive together.

In his book “Deepening Community”, the eminent Canadian community builder Paul Born challenges us with the question: “In prioritizing individual freedom, have we made it easier to ignore community responsibilities?” One of the scourges of our contemporary world is an epidemic of loneliness, where people feel increasingly detached from community. In this cut-off world, we are thwarted in our efforts to reach our highest potential and be who we wish to be. Individual freedom is not enough; our independence is insufficient to meet our deepest human need. The reality is we need each other. We are not in truth independent at all, but rather inter-dependent, deeply connected in communities that meet our physical, social and spiritual needs.

To be in community is to belong to something greater and more than our individual selves. While we naturally seek out the company of those who appear similar to us, we thrive when we are nurtured by the diverse gifts of others. This is why it is in diverse communities that we are most fully human and can reach our fullest potential. Drawing on the diverse gifts of others makes us more resilient as individuals and as communities. While there is the temptation to cling to others we feel are more like us, in the end the more narrowly we define our “community” and restrict who “belongs” the more fragile it becomes. 

Over the past several months, there has been a growing movement calling for Alberta to separate from Canada and become independent. This drive for independence is couched in the language of freedom. Not coincidentally, the drive for Alberta independence is accompanied by a drive for greater control of immigration, and an effort to restrict and redefine who “belongs”. At its heart, the quest for Alberta independence is not just a question of political independence, but one of what it means to be “Albertan”. When a movement aims to “take back Alberta” we must ask the question: from whom and for whom?

For those living in poverty, society’s goal is often for them to become more independent. In fact, for many of them, the problem is that they are too independent; cut off from community and the supports that would enable them to thrive. These are also the ones most likely to be left out of any movement to “take back” a community from others. It is those on the margins – migrants, Indigenous persons, persons of colour, those of diverse gender identity and sexual orientation, persons with disabilities – whom we urge to be independent while simultaneously questioning their right to belong. What is needed is not more independence, but to be embraced as valued members of the community and their dignity and humanity affirmed.

Similarly, calls by any community for “independence” belie the inter-dependent nature of humanity. Moreover, communities so narrowly defined are in the end self-defeating as they cut themselves off from the array of gifts that people from diverse places, backgrounds and perspectives bring. While the lure of independence is in its promise for greater freedom and prosperity, it is a false promise. We are most fully free and prosperous when we come together in communities that embrace the diversity of humanity. This is the path of abundance. The alternative is a long and winding pathway to material, social and spiritual poverty.

- Derek Cook, Director of the Canadian Poverty Institute