Declaration of Independence

Independent am I, thought the man. I need nobody. 
Everything I need is inside of me. 
A self-contained ball of energy and resource, 
I stand alone, for I am Independent. 

Then he rose in the morning and went to work 
Where he depended on the labour of others 
To provide the tools needed to perform his job, 
And his employers to recognise his worth 
And pay him well. 

After work he sat in his car where he depended 
On the skill of the engineers that built it, 
The petrol stations to fuel it, and the safe driving  
Of those around him to get him home. 

The man later sat down to dinner 
Where he depended on the carpenter who constructed 
The chair upon which he sat, 
The potter who fashioned the plate from which he ate, 
The farmer who reared the cattle 
And the butcher who turned it into meat, 
The growers of the wheat that made his daily bread, 
And the money that he earned to pay for it, 
The clouds to gather and bathe the land 
With their life-giving water, 
And the earth to revolve and bring the sun up 
Each morning to help it all grow. 

That night as he lay in bed, the man 
Declared to himself with pride, Oh yes,  
Independent am I.