The Paradox of Independence
Some people possess talent.
Others are possessed by it…
One of the many misconceptions that seem to plague the un-thoughts of most is the idea that independence, in a general sense, is tantamount to freedom– that somehow one’s isolation from previously thought out courses of action and protocol afford the utilizer a sense of superiority and automation. And while from one perspective, that of the standard dependent gazing upon the standard independent, this may very well be the case, from it’s reciprocal perspective– that of the independent mind looking outward, it really couldn’t be farther from the truth.
As the laws of paradox dictate, there can be no gained polarizing entity without an equal reduction of the same– no freedom without a balanced restriction, and this particular case is no exception. For while a typically independent mind is free from the need to depend, in faith, on well vetted courses of action, he is absolutely dependent on the faith that he alone has the ability to plot the best course of action in every given situation.
Some allegorical illumination:
Imagine navigating a space craft through an asteroid belt. Beneath the steering wheel is an auto-pilot button that relinquishes control of the craft to the computer, with the assurance that there is a high possibility of successfully navigating the belt safely without thought (as plotting a safe ten mile course blindly through an asteriod belt is a daunting task when considered one task). After pressing the button you find yourself bumper to bumper, and surrounded on all sides, by other crafts following the exact same heading, each with pilots kicking back and reading the galactic express while their ships make the arduous journey down the broad and well-traveled course.
Now…a few pilots will come upon the asteroid belt, observe the thick line of space crafts all heading in the same direction, the rolling and shifting rocks spanning endlessly in all directions, and decide, quite simply, that it would just be more fun to blaze their own paths, thus keeping the opportunity for new and interesting discoveries open. At close range, in the thick of diving and dodging the rocks, it’s found that there’s no real need to fear…for while it may be impossible to fully plan out, in advance, a safe ten mile course through the belt, it’s very easy to manage each yard safely as it comes…and after a long bout of enjoyable and exciting flying, and after passing many lovely and yet-unseen nebulas and collapsing stars, those few pilots immerge suddenly on the far side of the belt, back into open space. Nearby, the slow line of traffic through the safely plotted path trickles out at a snail’s pace. The independent pilots take note, and realize that a well laid path is not specifically necessary to reach a specific destination. All that’s required is maintaining a rough and simple direction, who’s means of acquiring a destination are open to options.
Once it is realized that the mind is capable of safely navigating the body, without the help of previously slated courses, it is impossible to relinquish control over one’s self ever again. The banality of the wide road is an inexcusable bore when compared the excitement of one’s own whims, and this is especially inexcusable when both paths merit nearly identical destinations. The independent mind finds itself bound to only one path, wholly dependent on one course. The freedom of choice in the paths of different minds is abandoned, and each step forward falls on a single and fate-governed linear line. So while it may seem, from the outside, that free spirited individuals run amok, they are actually much more enslaved than they appear.