Interdependence

Society sells us the fiction that independence equals strength. The self-made entrepreneur. The lone genius. The self-sufficient hero.

But this mythology is our biggest weakness disguised as our greatest virtue.

Every success story you've been sold — from Edison's light bulb to Musk's rockets — conveniently edits out the thousands of people who made it possible.

We've turned collaboration into a dirty word.

No leaf photosynthesizes alone. No planet orbits in isolation. No wave breaks without the ocean.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: Independence is the greatest marketing scam ever sold.

Reality Check

Nature doesn't do independence. Look at any thriving ecosystem:

The Forest Model:

• Trees share nutrients through underground networks

• Fungi facilitate communication between species

• Individual death feeds collective life

• Balance maintains the whole system

The Human Model:

• We celebrate rugged individualism

• We build walls instead of bridges

• We optimize for personal gain

• We wonder why everything's falling apart

Evolution isn't trying to create perfect individuals. It's creating perfect systems. And systems require connection, not isolation.

The entire universe runs on one fundamental protocol: interdependence.