I don't know about other countries, but Americans like to think of themselves as independent and self-sufficient. But modern society is set to make true independence and self-sufficiency nearly impossible.
To most people being independent means they have a job and their own house or apartment. But that definition of independence makes you dependent. If you have a job, you're dependent on your employer for the money to pay your bills and for health insurance. If you're self-employed or own your business, you're dependent on your clients and customers.
Most Americans are dependent on other people for the necessities. If you buy your food from a supermarket, you're relying on other people to make your food and transport it to the supermarket. If you buy your clothing, you're relying on other people to make it. You most likely depend on the government for drinking water. If you live in a cold-weather climate, you depend on someone else to heat your home in the winter.
If you drive a car, which most American depend on to get to their jobs, you're dependent on oil companies. American society is highly dependent on electricity. Without it, you probably wouldn't have your job. You wouldn't be able to store food, watch television, listen to music, or go on the Internet. I wouldn't be writing this without electricity.
In modern American society being dependent on other people is a good thing. Being independent and self-sufficient would be a big pain. You would be spending most of your time finding food, preparing it, making your clothing, gathering water, and getting wood for heating and cooking. There isn't enough land in America for over 300 million people to live like that. For most of us, being dependent is superior to being independent.
