Sometimes, choosing to remain independent is not the best choice.
Remaining independent is ultimately about power; without power, one has no right to be independent.
Take the current situation, for example. Various forces are entangled in chaos, and being independent makes you the odd one out, which makes you stand out awkwardly.
It's like fighting turtles in a mud pit while the bigwigs watch from the shore; it's just a loss of face, nothing more.
But if the bigwigs themselves are fighting in the mud pit, and you remain clean on the shore, the leaders might ignore you now, but see if you can avoid retribution later.
Thus, smart people will choose to get involved immediately, even if just to blend in; they can't afford not to integrate, nor can they fail to align themselves properly.
To integrate is not a negative term, and to stand out doesn't always mean being the only sober one in a drunken world.
