Real psychospiritual sovereignty is interdependent rather than dependent or independent. Dependency could be reserved for children, the infirm, and domestic animals. Independence is a stage for adolescence who individuate by symbolically “killing” authority figures like parents. Incidentally if you have a teenager who is aggressive, defiant, antisocial, obstinate, oppositional or something like that, it’s a necessary attitude for this stage, and if you are trying to shut it down with meds, punishments or behavior mods, it may be that you have missed the necessary development stage of killing your authority figures. Interdependence comes after these stages, when we mature we recognize and integrate our connectedness and individuality without conflict. Like the stars in space we share one reality, effect each other, and still shine in our own unique way and life cycle. One way to recognize if you are stuck in dependence or independence developmentally is to see if your actions are actually reactions. Are the choices you make based on outer circumstances? Are you going along to get along as in “fawning”, or doing what the culture thinks you “should” do, or reacting against the shoulds? Interdependence has as a component of freely choosing next steps based on a liberated love for self, other and The Trap regardless of what is happening externally. (Listen to my podcast Enjoying The Trap for more resources here). Art Joshua Mays.
