This is a small portion of a rather larger comic page piece I did this past semester. I chose to cut out this part for contribution because, even though each panel on the page represented independence in a certain capacity, this, I felt, illustrated it most clearly.

What do I have to say about independence? It isn't easy. It's not clear-defined, as others have already said and will hopefully continue to be able to say. It can refer to something different according to one's age, career path, even culture. It can refer to political independence, philosophical independence, religious independence, or simply refer to a child's independence from their parents. There is, however, one thing that no matter what the individual circumstance, independence suggests: the ability to make a choice.

Independence, as according to my illustration here, means having the freedom to follow that true, frightening, messy, and gleaming path to your own happiness and well-being, expectations be damned.