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I appreciate the comment. I was also taught the survival of the fittest mantra which so resonates with the notions of 'rugged individualism,' that, in turn, echo religious philosophies present in early America. I think most folk would read your comments and agree with you. But as we learned more about the interconnected complexity of nature, the data showed many assumptions, built on that notion of 'fitness' were fundamentally flawed. Turns out the most highly adapted animals or plants, "the fittest" are actually unlikely to survive significant environmental changes (its the ones who are less 'fit' for the current environment are more capable of adaptation). And certainly the vast, collaborative networks of plants and fungi, where sharing resources, even between species, was never envisioned. The fact that we have a specialized lobe of our brain and parallel peripheral nervous system built for touch, social connectedness and empathy suggests that it was important for groups of people to have interconnect awareness. Individual examples do not negate the fact of that system and certainly don't explain it. Lastly, the fact that the human body is completely dependent on a non-human network of bacteria and other collaborations in order to maintain life undermines the glorious illusion of rugged individualism.