Thank you my friend for weighing in again and also for pointing out my somewhat carelessness when talking about the local sheriff issue. I've added an ADDENDUM to the post above which you can read.
I think that with what is coming, people can not just fend for themselves in isolation. Building some strong bonds with community members you can trust is essential, for without it you can become defenseless in certain situations. They can also provide much needed moral support. Not trusting anyone at all would be a tragedy and would devoid us of an important essence of our existence - humanity. The Key is choosing people you can trust and count on. Not always an easy endeavor, but that is why our Creator has given us minds and intelligence. It's better than going it alone, imo.
It is demonstrably true that a minority of the members of a society are competent to rule, in all the possible ways this can be interpreted.
An individual person is not, and is unlikely ever to be. However, the security of the individual can be competently provided by that individual, even against all the other members of society, and that is the promise of decentralization. As means of production are gained by individuals, the competence of that security is multiplied by each additional individual adopting them. The increase in power individuals gain when another individual becomes independently productive is multiplicative, not additive, because these individuals do not just secure themselves, but also each other.
This is because society is based on mutual interdependence. We have celebrated Independence Day in America since the Revolution. I look forward to when our posterity celebrates Interdependence Day instead.
Thanks!