Those who are "self" reliant doesn't mean that they do things ALONE.
The Amish are a great example. Someone's house or barn burns down, the Amish community gathers together to build another.
Self reliant people look to other self reliant people to learn from and to get AND GIVE a helping hand.
It's people like Ozimek who have absolutely nothing to offer anybody else.
When a neighbor has a problem, it's the self reliant person, with a shed or garage full of tools, that comes over to help.
Go to a church with self reliant people and it's these same people who help others in their church, putting a new roof on, or a door in, or wiring a faucet, or plumbing an outlet.
The last few years, I've gone out to Iowa with my buddy. We go in together with his cousin and the three of us buy three pigs (not little). Then we spend the day butchering them together. It's hard work, but satisfying. We enjoy each others company. And save A LOT over what pork would cost at a store.
I participated in many a “hog killin” as a boy. We usually would butcher a four or five hundred pounder and it would take the whole family all day to finish up with the one and we did not make chitlins. I have helped stuff sausage into the small intestines after cleaning them though.
A saw what you did there...