MISSION

We encounter a highly-romanticized view of independence, self-sufficiency and autonomy as part of the American Dream. This mythology is rooted in the founding of America itself. Self-sufficiency is often marked by a series of milestones in our lives, related to leaving the "nest," (the protective home of one's family) and attaining economic independence by entering the work force.

 

Countless self-help books have been published to "free" us from the enslavement of being too dependent. All of us were dependent as infants, and we will again be dependent upon caretakers as we age. By asserting that dependency can just as easily be lauded as it can jeered, we are stripping away the myth and appreciating the networks of people and systems we depend upon, sometimes without even being consciously aware of how vital they are.