Part of the reasons I'm not too attached on the idea of self-sovereignty and its realization is as an end state in and of itself is because I think there's a missing element of conscious interdependence, i.e the recognition that individual purpose finds its fullest expression when it contributes to a unified whole that transcends pure independence.
From an individual perspective, being your own person, fully self-reliant, independent, having the freedom to do what you want whenever you want is no doubt an incredible achievement from previous situations of pre-modern times.
We now possess perhaps "too much" agency over many aspects of our lives, with the most recent one being fundamental identity formation.
Also, the ability to reinvent ourselves through pursuing education regardless of social class or just travel across continents and connect with like-minded individuals globally, and then also challenge traditional authority structures arguably represents a quantum leap in human potential and dignity, I think.
The self-responsibility part tends to get overlooked however, given that with great freedom comes the weight of constant choice-making, based on the burden of self-definition and anxiety of crafting meaning in an increasingly atomized world.
Should I pursue becoming an engineer or just focus on creative work? Why or why not?
It could always go either way and when every decision becomes our own to make, we somehow lose the wisdom that comes from understanding how our individual gifts might serve something larger than ourselves.
How about looking at it from "what do I want?" to "what does the world need from my unique combination of talents, and with whom can I create the most meaningful impact?"
Node Autonomy
In some ways, I think you could use decentralized nodes across the globe as another reference point to understand this concept.
Blockchain networks derive their strength from their interconnectedness and ability to validate each other's transactions.
On a similar fashion, human flourishing emerges from networks of sovereign individuals who choose to collaborate, support, and build together.
Each node maintains its autonomy while contributing to a larger, more resilient system.
Arguably, one could say the trade-off on this incredible achievement is the dissolution of traditional community structures, such as weakening of extended family bonds and the loss of shared rituals and collective meaning-making, although the latter still happens more or less in a rather digitally native way.
But more so I believe the pendulum will swing back towards these fundamental human needs/principles, albeit with a self-reinforced foundation where each individual chooses their community consciously rather than being assigned to it by circumstance.
Shared Principles
As primal as it may sound in our digital age, I think tribes will continue to be held in high regard and necessity even as we enter into a more technologically advanced age.
I was watching a crypto podcast just yesterday of a guy who joined this space around the peak end of the last bull cycle and have made well for himself from that point up until now.
When asked why he joined the space, he mentioned the libertarian principles is what drew him here as he himself resonates with those principles. I think this a rather common, that many people who joined this space have.
The human "need" for shared identity, collective problem-solving, mutual support etc, transcends technological progress. If anything, our advancing technology makes these primal needs more pronounced, not less relevant.
Better Navigation
I think it makes a lot of sense to add self-sovereignty also includes having the know-how to know when and how to connect, contribute, and commit to something larger than ourselves.
If you knew what unique value you bring to the world and how to identify communities aligned with your deepest purposes, wouldn't decision-making become much simpler?
In this sense, self-sovereignty serves as a gateway rather than a destination for enabling us to choose our interdependencies wisely as opposed to accepting them by default.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.