About that independence
The islands recently held an election, which brought me back to a topic which I ponder from time to time, especially because of my English classes. Independence: freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, of the like, of others. (dictionary.com) Independence is a myth. It's a nice myth, but still a myth. Since when was anyone truly free from the influence of others? Only a world filled with sociopaths could say that they weren't influenced by others, and a world filled with sociopaths wouldn't last very long. One of my old English classes had a unit on patriotism, which included a discussion on independence. I always found it fascinating to hear my students' thoughts on the subject, especially as, for a few of them, their country's independence from colonialism happened in their lifetime. For many of them it was in their parents' lifetime. Is independence only about a country being independent from another country? Or a child from a parent? Many peop...