Well Mr Cooper, since you asked so nicely.

Anderson Cooper ‏@andersoncooper

How would you answer the question are you better off than you were four years ago, and who or what do you blame/credit?

I saw this question on twitter and for whatever reason, I felt really inspired to answer.

I'm assuming that Anderson (yeah, we're totes on first name basis) is trying to uncover whether or not American's feel as though their lives have been improved or diminished thanks to president Obama.

This topic is so incredibly multifaceted that it's almost comical I'm even attempting to address it. Sociologists, economist, scientists, psychologists, politicians spend their entire careers trying to distill some truth out of the mystery that is human life.

But if I were to give you a very straightforward and personal answer - disregarding all the intellectual explanations my brain wants to supply - it would go something like this.

Do I think I'm better off than I was four years ago?

Yes.

Who do I credit for this change?

Both myself and the community in which I have found myself a part of.

Here's the thing. I am fully responsible for my behavior. I decide if I want to have a good attitude, how I look at the world, and what I choose to tell myself and believe in. These things can make all the difference.

But I can't pretend that my community hasn't supported me and encouraged me in ways that have not only inspired me but also kept me afloat. 

Because of my disability, I can never be fully a self sufficient. In one form or another I will always be dependent on others. That's not to say that I can't contribute or support myself in many external ways, but I will never be in a situation where I can take care of myself completely. 

And whether you like it or not; neither will you.

Regardless of your position in the world, you will forever be connected to the community at large. As soon as you are born you are both a sovereign individual as well as at the mercy of the world around you. Your entire survival depends on the environment around you.

So, what this means to me:

Ultimately, I will always take responsibility for myself. But my opportunities, my options, hell - even my survival, will depend on other people.

Just as it will for you.