Back at primary school, one of the most celebrated days, albeit for the occasional 'good food' and chance to go home earlier than usual was Independence Day. Then of course there was lots of dance and other forms of entertainment thus making it a day to look forward to each year. Growing up into a youth, that sheer excitement makes way for a somewhat reflective mode, a little insolence, if you like, creeps in. That childish rash of excitement and innocence is replaced by demands, expressly said or implied, upon you to take care of your needs - more so for those who are out of school.
Independence as a concept and practice evokes scenarios of self-determination. The quest to be free, to be able to do what pleases you most - given that it does not outrage others rather too much - is a yearning that every youth desires. Thus, independence for a youth entails the availability of opportunities to fulfill one's potential.
Chatting to some youth on what independence means for them, one gets a version of that line from the 1776 American declaration of Independence 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness'. Independence to young people, borders on the ability to fulfill one's dreams and the promise of ones life, with the facilitation of such by the great men and women that the votes of ordinary people have so transformed into.
