Independence, individually and selfishness

Being independent, being self-sufficient are buzzwords that we hear more and more, as some societies are making, or have already made the transitions from family-oriented to a purely individualistic communities.

Relaying one's own devices to go through life leads to an existence of strife and struggle, but there is almost a sense of achievement attached to managing one's life without resorting to the help of others. 

A premium is put on this mangled almost unrecognizable form of self-reliance.
We sometimes understand independence to be the ability to achieve outside of the confines of the family, the group or the community.
This perverted form of independence, creates selfish, cold individuals out of us. It creates individuals that can't trust anybody outside of themselves.
Persons unsupported by their community become weak and scared. In nature animals and insects live in group, large or small. Within these groups, each individual performs certain tasks that advance the whole group.
Most often than not, marriages between "independent" individuals fail because there is no unity. They think that they can jump off the boat any time, and still make it on their own. But they readily forget that, we as humans, need each other. 

Couples in individualistic societies are just two individuals living under the same roof. Each one of them performing duties to advance most of all his or her own interests.

These unions try to unite persons with irreconcilable goals. Each one will be planting his own tree, watering it, and caring for it, instead of building a lush garden together