Defining Independence: Isolation or Attunement?
We typically define independence as “a state of receiving help from no one.” However, in the world of physical laws, a perfectly isolated system does not exist. Humans depend on oxygen to breathe, gravity to stand upright, and the knowledge produced by others to think.
In this context, independence is not the “blocking of external energy,” but rather “a state where one can personally choose and tune the energy sources they utilize.” While the criticism that praying to God undermines self-reliance is valid, paradoxically, by assuming a vast constant like “God,” humans can become free from the volatile influence of others or their environment.
Displacement of Energy Sources: People or the Source?
When humans feel a deficiency, we instinctively seek something to fill that void. If that “something” is the people around us, our independence wavers moment by moment based on their reactions. Craving the validation of others or fretting over their potential departure is far from true independence.
Conversely, depending on God through prayer is akin to dropping an anchor into an “unchanging Source” rather than unpredictable people. Although it takes the form of “dependence,” because the object of that dependence exists outside the interests of human society, it secures the “psychological margin” to act more confidently and independently within human relationships. Thus, a paradox arises: the more deeply one depends on God, the less one depends on people.
The Illusion Named Independence
In truth, none of us has ever been truly independent. We sustain our existence by constantly consuming, drinking, reading, and absorbing external things into ourselves. Just as a plant accepts sunlight as a “given,” humans must also accept external energy in some form.
The real question is whether we are aware of what we are depending on. Rather than the arrogance of believing one is independent while ignorant of one’s own deficiencies, it may be a far more strategic form of independence to accurately recognize those deficiencies and choose the most stable energy source to communicate with. Prayer is both the act of borrowing that energy and a safety mechanism that prevents the runaway of a bloated ego by never forgetting the fact: “I am still incomplete.”
Conclusion: A Weight for the Center
Ultimately, the answer to whether standing alone by leaning on God constitutes true independence depends on the “purpose of independence.” If independence simply means “not receiving help from anyone,” then prayer is a hindrance. However, if independence means “not losing one’s center amidst the storms of the world,” then prayer may be a clever choice—attaching the heaviest possible weight to maintain that center.
To me, as a non-believer, prayer still looks like the act of borrowing external energy. Yet, if that dependence allows one to become free from the whims of others and the environment, it might just be a fairly useful “technology of independence” devised by humanity.
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