The Third Child of Independence

Whenever a major cultural movement creates a shift in societal structure, that movement inevitably leaves a legacy. Boats cause wakes, plates cause quakes, and dandelions cause.....well, thousands more dandelions. Cultural movements are no different; they inevitably leave their offspring. Today, I wish to tell you about a child of the American Spirit of Independence.

Just as a noble parent is capable of having ignoble children, the idea of Independence is more than capable of birthing a rebel. And I assure you, it has. To say such a thing pricks the heart to the quick, because in America, we're very proud of our independence. And rightfully so! After all, is not the desire for independence and freedom from bondage the cornerstone of our nation's origin? Is not independence the spark of patriotism? The cry from the heart of the enslaved? It most certainly is. Independence, in its original and intended form, which is freedom from evil, is a most praiseworthy idea. However, independence has come to be defined as independence from not only evil, but also of good.

Independence has many children; Freedom is one, Strength is another. But Independence has a third child; one that, though seemingly innocent and beautiful, does not share the spirit of goodness found in her sisters. For the sake of Nathaniel Hawthorne, I will call this child Pearl. What is Pearl? Who is Pearl, this third child of Independence? Pearl is self-sufficiency. Pearl is monotone singularity. She is one half of a coin who thinks herself complete. She is an interlocking piece that deems herself a whole. Pearl is the egg which seeks to fertilize itself. She is independence, not for the sake of freedom from bondage, but for the sake of independence itself. She relies on nothing, and therefore deems herself free of all limitation, but in doing so, has inflicted upon herself the greatest limitation of all: to be alone. Pearl is independence, from evil yes, but also from good. In order to rely on nothing at all costs, she has separated herself from all.

Her cry from the rooftops has morphed from a "Declaration of Independence" into a "Declaration of I-dependence." Upon her visage of unchanging contentedness, in bright, jubilant red, can be read the words: "I need nothing. I need no one. I want for nothing. I am enough." Pearl is the re-utterance of that very first lie; that seed of wretched filth which sprouted in the heart of humanity at the dawn of time: "What if I could be self-sufficient? What if I could be 'God?' What if I could take care of myself? What if I could be my own source? What if I were independent?" Pearl is the life-form that emerges when the sludge of conceited independence, merged with the self-sufficiency of feminism drips down upon the countenance of an individual. Pearl is the hatred of water and food, of air and shelter, of intimacy and love; of any need required by the human soul or body. Why? Because to "need" anything, is to rely on something other than oneself. And in the mind of Pearl, such a reliance is weakness. Upon the physiognomy of  Pearl can never be seen anything which even remotely resembles need. Because, in the mind of our sweet, stupid Pearl, need is equivalent to weakness.

As you've probably guessed, Pearl is a figurative person who lives in far too many real-world persons today. Boys and girls, women and men, young and old, rich and poor have all been affected by Pearl. She slips out of their mouths through tongue-in-cheek humor and commonplace speech, reflecting, barely distinguishable below the surface, her face of self-contentedness. Pearl can be seen smiling, with her wild, happy eyes, when children are taught that "independence" is the greatest sign of maturity. Her carefree laugh echoes in the declaration of the virgin, who says with a smirk, "I need no man." Her thunderous whisper drips from the tongue of the feminist, who shouts with gusto, "We don't need children to be complete!" Pearl can be seen in the stubbornness of the infirm, who, though needy and desperate, refuse to receive refuge and aid from their own family. Pearl can be seen in the pride of the father, who deems himself a failure should he accept a charitable offering, extended to his family in time of need. Pearl is there in the hustle of the bachelor, who seeks, above all goals in life, to be out from his parents' roof and under his own. To be self-supporting, self-sufficient, self-content, self-reliant; these are the ideals which bring a smile to the face of Pearl.

Am I saying that we, as humans, should rely solely on external forces? Should we rely on others to meet our every need and provide us with meaning? By all means, no. What I am saying is that need is not sin, nor is reliance perverse. In fact, quite the opposite, they are fundamental human principles that cannot be wholly extinguished, and any attempt to dispel them entirely creates within our heart the monster of self-sufficiency we have named Pearl. For there is an unquenchable beauty in reliance; in the babe at the nipple; in the couple who cleave to each other for support; in the reliance of an individual on something outside of himself. Yet we're continually coming to value dependence less and less, thinking it irresponsible and lazy to rely on anything other than oneself. The sad fact is, Independence has come to mean something that it was never intended to mean. Singleness, isolation, chastity, and self-sufficiency have become cool in today's society. Need, marriage, family, external-reliance, teamwork, and children have come to be considered nothing more than limitations; obstacles between the individual and independence that should be avoided at all costs. Individuals have begun to remove their need for one another in the name of "independence." Hermitage and homesteading have become the new rave. The young say, "I don't want kids, I don't want marriage, and therefore, by default, I choose to go without family. I don't need any of that to be happy. I'm going to live my fullest life free of all limitation and bond. For that is what attachment is: bondage. I shall be self-sufficient. I shall be independent from all, and all independent from me."

Pearl smiles all the more.

Sources:

Nathaniel Hawthorne ("The Scarlet Letter")