Independent individuals try to succeed through their own resources ( effort, drive etc). The independence mentality does not care about others. My growth is the main target for these individuals. This in itself is the ingredient for competition. Is competition bad? Definitely no.
On a higher level, individuals can be more outward looking. When I grow, others should grow too. My growth shouldn’t be at the expense of others. This is the interdependency which synonymous with cooperation.
independence = competition
interdependancy = cooperation
Look out for avenues of interdependancy always. No one is perfect. It is possible that you are good in areas where I am weak and vice versa. Let us cooperate, and make 1+1 = 3 and more !