Independence is not the ability to provide for oneself, nor is it being able to manage without other people.
       Instead independence comes from knowing what your inner problems or issues are, why you have them
       and how to change them. With independence you are fully able to use your own power and make your life
       what you wish it to be.

       Independence is also the wisdom that comes from understanding the sanctity of life and the divinity that is
       inside every person, animal and object.  The experience of true independence is a key moment in life because
       it indicates that you have moved into a higher and more secure state of thought and consciousness.
       Independence also teaches us how the nature of thought works and reveals to us the spiritual laws of nature
       and of the universe.  It teaches us all, as individuals, how to live with each other and to know our responsibilities
       as members of any community.

       Independence enables the soul to grow and your life to become rewarding.  It brings us each the skills of living
       in the world.  It teaches us to be responsible for our own actions but also gives us the courage to help others
       become responsible for their actions.

       True independence comes from knowing that we all need each other, but that at the same time we have the
       power to create our own fate.  It teaches us how to act and think with integrity and to live in accordance with
       our truest beliefs, finding our own inner codes of ethics and behaviour.

       This, then, is the essence of independence, the thought energy of self-knowledge and the responsibilities
       and joys that come with  it.

Reference:
The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking
by  Christopher  Hansard  ~