Being Ourselves and Being with Others

”Independence is a heady draft" claimed Maya Angelou. We view independence as a virtue, one that we crave for ourselves and admire in others. But is our pursuit of independence a mistake?  In the US in the last fifty years, the number living alone has doubled, but we aren't happier for it. A recent study found those living alone had an 80% higher chance of being depressed.

Has our attachment to independence undermined the importance of community?  Should we take heed from cultures that live under one roof and embrace a more connected form of intergenerational living?   Would we be better to accept the decline in family structures and embrace the new wave of co-living spaces?  Or is this to fail to take into account how stifling, hierarchical and oppressive communities can be?