Dependency: Life's Leash

"Dependency is death to initiative, to risk-taking and opportunity."

So I've been in Israel now for a little over 24 hours, and something has become very apparent to me. My family has become dependent on me here. This is a very new feeling and not one I'm sure I'm completely comfortable with. My father mentioned to a friend I ran into within 3 hours of being here that the only reason they brought me was to translate. Now I'm not sure if he was completely joking or not.

I've found myself asking for directions for them, translating restaurant menus, reading street signs, converting shekels to dollars (isn't my brother's strong suit math? not mine?), all sorts of things. And when I jokingly asked what would they do without me, like when I go off with my friends, they, very seriously, replied that if the other person doesn't speak English, they'll just leave.

My question then aims at how to categorize this. Is it ignorance? Lack of desire to be adventurous? What? I decided on dependency. Their dependency on having something, or someone in this case, bridge the gap is what causes them to have experiences and take opportunities that would otherwise would cease to exist in their minds.

Should one be dependent? I pride myself in being independent, to a fault even. My friends will agree, and even question if that in and of itself is simply independence or stubbornness. However, lately I've found myself becoming more and more dependent on others. Maybe I'm just realizing it, but I really am beginning to notice the level of dependency I have on those around me. Is this right? Should I be dependent? Is it within human nature as social creatures to be so? Or could we be like Walden and live off in a cabin by ourselves as hermits?

I do agree with the opening quote, that being too dependent will cause one to miss out and have life fly by him. But what level of dependency, if any, is appropriate? What/who should we depend on? Is there any right or wrong way to go about it? More at a foundational level, is dependency an issue of being right or wrong?

Would love to hear what y'all have to say about this. It certainly has been mulled over in my mind.