Why we explicitly celebrate independence and not dependence

Recently it was Independence Day in Indonesia, marking the 80th anniversary of independence from Dutch colonial rule. For many days, flags were proudly raised and displayed on cars, houses, public and private buildings, temples, and anywhere else you can imagine.

It is common in many countries to celebrate Independence Day—celebrating independence from something that made the people dependent. It seems more typical to explicitly celebrate independence rather than dependence. Why is that?

It appears that independence is regarded as having a higher status than dependence. Independence offers a wide range of choices, whereas dependence generally restricts them. With more choices, there also comes more personal responsibility and individual effort needed to make things happen.
Dependence isn’t usually celebrated, as far as I can tell. Some might argue that marriage is a form of celebrating dependence, but I’ve never heard it framed that way. Conversely, one could argue that marriage is a form of independence—the decision to unite for life with a specific person among many options.
We celebrate and pursue financial independence, time independence, work independence, and more. We desire the freedom of choice. This elevates our status in society because more options, more time, and greater freedom are usually granted to those who deserve it and can manage their freedom in a way that benefits not only themselves but also their community and society as a whole.

On the other hand, dependence can provide a sense of stability, clear action steps, and well-defined boundaries for what to do and what not to do. Depending on your personality traits and mindset, these can sometimes be desirable and even preferable to the feeling of pure independence.

So, we celebrate and pursue independence because, broadly speaking, we want the freedom of choice—the ability to shape our destiny and find meaning through starting something on our terms, at least in theory.

In practice, some may feel overwhelmed by the freedoms that come with independence and may withdraw or take advantage of their privileged position by doing the bare minimum, if anything at all. But others will recognize these parasites long-term, and then the game is over.

Independence carries implications for mindsets and actions. Pursue it intentionally and be aware of these implications, or the game will unexpectedly knock you down when you least expect it.