I like and respect you as well, Bob. However, I am not sure you fully understand my perspective?
Recreational diving is one thing. Deep diving, hard or soft overhead diving, or technical diving are all something else. Recreational divers jump in the water typically with a single regulator, single tank, with a primary and an "octopus" second stage regulator attached. In general, novice recreational divers are less likely to avoid problems, like being out of air, simply due to inexperience. So, reliance on the presence of a buddy, is not only acceptable, it makes total sense for a lot of reasons. This is also why it is important for them to acquire experience in shallow water, where they have the option of swimming directly to the surface. Any skill practice for recreational divers, is good, and will pay dividends. The answer to poor buddy skills, is more diving skill.
However, IMHO, when divers go deeper, enter into wrecks, conduct decompression dives, or conduct dives that require gas switches, then they need to take on greater responsibility for themselves, because the environment is far less forgiving. The buddy becomes less reliable in an emergency, due to the increase in inherent risks. I feel that technical divers can better utilize their time training to be self-reliant and responsible for themselves, than training to be dependent upon a buddy.
How might a diver train to be self more reliant, you ask? How about conducting thorough dive computer/gauge checks, and scrolling the menus? How about conducting valve checks, shutdowns, and switching from primary to the secondary regulators? How about conducting equipment checks, and assuring reels, SMB's, knives, lights, tools, and anything else the diver is carrying, are all accessible? How about doing bubble checks?
There is not anything I have mentioned here that I do not do pretty much religiously on every single dive. These are skills I can practice on the anchor line, swimming along, or prior to making a move like entering the wreck. It is easy. I work at being aware of my equipment, where everything is, and verifying that it is working. I know where I am relative to depth, time, and decompression obligation. When something goes wrong, I am ready to manage the problem. It is called situational awareness and it is not all that difficult to practice, whether you are diving with a buddy, or not?
Solo diving is something else, and it is not for everyone. It may be right for me on certain dives, but to tell you the truth I dive the same whether I have a buddy or not? I am self reliant, and responsible, and prepared to manage any potential problem, as though I was diving solo.
All solo divers need to be self reliant, but not all self reliant divers need to necessarily be diving solo. Self reliant, responsible divers are less likely to run into a problem because they have already run operational checks, but should there be a failure, which happens, then they are practiced at implementing the solution. That makes them less of a burden on a buddy, and more fun to dive with, IMHO!!
Cheers