"There has never been a life lived when dependency was wholly redundant. We all are dependent on someone to assist in our introduction into the world, our advancement through it and our survival in it; and even in the arrangements of our departure from it.
In the past, woman was dependent on man as the hunter-gatherer and main provider for the family. Children were dependent on their mothers for practical and emotional support whenever needed and pets were dependent on humans to enable them to survive in comfort. As for man, well he has always been dependent on woman for... whatever he has always wanted from her.
Walk down any High Street today and you'll not be able to move five feet before you'll see someone talking or texting on their mobile phone. In fact, most people are dependent upon some particular addiction, lifestyle or preferred role in life to provide them with a regular routine and give them a sense of purpose. Many depend on the State if sick or unemployed, whereas most of us will secretly depend upon our children not to dump us in an Old Folk's Home when we get older.
Whereas some dependencies are essential and desirable, especially where safety is concerned, there are so many dependencies that are not. For example, when one crosses a high suspension bridge in a vehicle, our feelings of security that the 150-year-old bridge isn't going to collapse while we cross it is no doubt vital to our overall sense of well-being. However, women who feel dependent on the presence of a man in her life to validate their worth and existence are totally misguided. It is foolish at the very least to become dependent on any other to the point that you are unable to properly and healthily function if/when they are no longer there.
There are a few beliefs that I would categorically endorse. I would never depend upon the weather, whatever the forecast; and if you live in England and you're out for the day, always stay within arms' length of a good umbrella! Accept that dependency makes slaves out of all of us. The single thing that made me give up smoking after 48 years of the addiction was when I one day acknowledged that I was dependent on the weed. Being a person who likes to be in control of their own behaviour, I knew I was hooked and that thought led me to break my addiction. I acknowledge that one cannot depend on even a good person doing the right thing all the time or a wrong 'un not doing right, anytime! Finally, believe that it is only when one is the master of their own ship can, one sail their own seas." William Forde: January 28th, 2017