I love my independence. When I freed myself from my parent’s purse strings (which seemed to take forever) was one of my greatest accomplishments. The first time I did my own taxes and got a tax refund gave me a sense of accomplishment. I felt so grown up just like when I fixed the family BLTs for the first time or taught myself to make biscuits from scratch. My independence is something I do not want to lose. But when I need help I do ask for help – that’s part of being independent. Having that awareness is important to independence.

Independence

“We can’t trust the fate of the entire universe to these psychos!” - Green Arrow*

Oliver Queen, a wealthy playboy with butlers and servants was stranded on a deserted island alone. Living isolated on this island for four years. The only way he could survive was to get up and become a supreme archer. Creating his own bow and arrows out of want ever materials he could find. Eventually modern-day pirates (drug dealers, smugglers…etc) came to his island, he captured the criminals and found transport back to the states. But Oliver Queen had changed. He was the Green Arrow, an independent hero. As the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen is probably the weakest, he has no superpowers or really cool gadgets. All he has is his bow and arrows, and his independence. He does not wait for some super-powered hero to save the day – he does it himself.

If we were all Superheroes would we sit and wait to be cared for or rescued? No, we would not. Independence is a great tool. Why sit and wait when it would be easier to get up and complete the task. Our mothers loved it when we started fixing our own breakfast. We felt so grown up fixing our own bowl of cereal. There is a sense of accomplishment felt when a task is completed. We feel stronger, smarter and independent when we learn a new task. Stepping out into the world and making mistakes is the best way to learn independence. Remember when we progressed from cereal to oatmeal. Oh! That filthy microwave was so hard to clean. Our mothers were still so very proud of our independence.

Green Arrow
First Appearance: National’s More fun Comics, #73, Nov. 1941

Creators: Mort Weisinger (writer), George Papp (art)

* Zero Hour Trade Paperback DC Comics 1994 collecting DC Showcase #8-9 and Zero Hour Crisis in Time #0-4, DC Comics 1994