What Does it Mean that Independence is the Characteristic of a Social Man?

This means that independence is the characteristics of a social man who leads an independent life with consciousness of independence.

Kim Jong Il said:

Only when a man has the consciousness of independence can he conduct conscious activity to conquer nature and actively struggle against the oppressors who encroach and trample upon his independence.

Independence is an attribute of social man who is desirous of living and developing in an independent way as the master of the world and his own destiny. On the strength of this quality, man throws off the fetters of nature, opposes social subjugation of all forms and puts everything at his own service.

The consciousness of independence is the decisive factor that determines man’s independence.

This consciousness means the awareness of one’s being the master of one’s own destiny and signifies the will to shape one’s destiny by one’s own initiative. When a man actively struggles to transform nature, society and man himself with the consciousness of independence, he will be a being with independence, an independent social being.

Only when a man has the consciousness of independence can he live free from the fetters of nature and society and struggle against the subjugation of all forms and make nature and society serve him. Through the process of historical development by the social movement of the popular masses, we can clearly see this.

Only when a man has the consciousness of independence can he solve all problems and live and develop as master of the world and his own destiny.

Surrounding world does not grant man the position of master. Man can not be master of the word and his own destiny by relying on the surrounding world and in the long run can not get rid of the fetters and subjugation of the surrounding world nor make surrounding world serve him. Since man is desirous of dominating the world, he should be responsible to shape his destiny in keeping with his will and desire, not by depending on something else. In order to do this, man should have the consciousness of independence.