There is a very widespread prejudice against dependence. Dependence is generally considered to be bad, and independence is generally considered to be good.
A little over half a century ago, a musician named Carlos Santana published a song called “I Ain’t Got Nobody (That I can Depend On)” (or simply “No One to Depend On”). The lyrics to the song are pretty much just that text– repeated over and over for several minutes. Of course there are also musical instruments, and also some Spanish words are uttered too. What’s particularly remarkable is that it seems to me that the song offers an iconic and quite different perspective on dependence. Here, dependability is heralded as an ideal.
Likewise, there is quite widespread appreciation of natural sciences, the scientific method and such as being very dependable. Nature as an object of interest is appreciated at least in part for its predictability. It follows natural laws. You can’t change the laws of nature.
On the other hand, it seems like you can indeed manipulate the prejudices of humans. For example: if you make a national holiday and call it “Independence Day”, you can thereby influence patriotic people to admire independence. Never mind the kinds of conditions humans need in order to live healthy lives, if humans do not pledge allegiance to independence, then there must be something wrong with them, right?
Socio Business blog 