We grow up thinking that we live separated from the environment that surrounds us, including people or animals that keep us company for a given time in our lives. This autonomous trend is so strong that it eventually leads us to isolation and selfishness, thinking that others can pose a threat to our well-being and that, apart from ourselves, or our family or immediate surroundings, there is no salvation.

This way of thinking seems a priori reasonable or rational. But increasingly, it can easily be compared to a building whose foundations are cracking, to the point that its very structure is in jeopardy. The thing is that the warning shots that have undermined this model have come from the scientific world, the Cerberus of official knowledge. In July 2012, scientists from the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that they believed they had discovered the famous Higgs boson, which would explain why some subatomic particles have a mass while others, such as photons, do not. This breakthrough, at least as important as the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953, plunges us into the heart of quantum physics, which aims to elucidate the building blocks of life. It assumes that energy, which forms the basis of matter, is not as solid as it looks; on the contrary, these findings hint that matter, which serves as a landmark in the physical world and is the constituent element of all that is in the physical realm, would have intangible elements.

Of course, matter, as it is presently defined, is considered in terms of its mass and volume. But if we take into account that it is composed of atoms and molecules formed of subatomic particles that are far from having revealed all their secrets, the answer is less clear, but we do know that we are less physical than we appear to be.

So much for the purely visual aspect of what we are. The border is more porous when we consider the psychological aspect of our being. We create links throughout our lives and these links determine how we see things, how we think. We affect others, as they affect us, and these contacts can certainly influence the course of our destiny, sometimes on a major scale. If this was not the case, if nothing reached us, we would be like photocopy machines scattered here and there in a large room called Earth. This is not the case.

On the other hand, our thoughts travel and are intercepted. Telepathy, which is defined as the transmission of thoughts, feelings or knowledge from one person to another, without using our five senses, is not yet scientifically proven because up to now, no experiment has been repeated in controlled conditions. This does not in any way say that telepathy does not exist. Recent history lists specific cases, such as those reported by the American author Upton Sinclair in his book entitled Mental Radio. Skeptics tell us that the burden of proof to prove its reality lies with those who believe in it. The general population does not necessarily wait for science to give us its verdict on this matter. A Gallup survey revealed in 2005 that three out of four Americans believe in paranormal phenomena, including 41% in extrasensory perceptions, such as telepathy.

This being said, our thoughts now travel precisely and at an alarming speed, thanks to technology. Each thought or mental jolt we want to share is transmitted almost instantaneously to others via the Internet, using social networks. Exponential sales of electronic gadgets, tablets or smartphones reflect our desire to reach loved ones or those who we deal with as quickly as possible. And we want an answer just as fast. We’re that close to being telepaths.

Science and technology combine to accelerate our awareness of what we are. Socio-political authorities and traditional media, which is the traditional breathing ground of the intellectual elite of our society, have long attributed for themselves the power to govern, educate and inform the public. The digital revolution turned this situation upside down and reversed the pyramidal model. The role of the apex is challenged. The base, which for so long drank the Kool-Aid without much questioning, except in times of rebellion and revolution, now produces its own references. It even sheds off the usual mode of transmission to create its own networks born out of its specific interests. The established transmitters are now in a panic mode, to the point of proposing their clientele to become sources of information and even a source for decision. One might wonder what is wrong with that. After all, isn’t it good policy to listen to customers and taxpayers?

This democratization process is not going on smoothly. The public remains confused by rumors disguised as facts because they are conveyed on the Internet outside the traditional fields of information and thus, will probably always be prone to errors. But one thing remains: the individual and the society, thus released from a straitjacket, can now speak more freely and help break this trend and to operate in silos. This translate as an increased awareness as of their interdependence so beneficial for personal well-being and that of the community.

Consequently, evolution can do no otherwise than accelerate, for the benefit of humanity.

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Martin Gauthier is the author of We only live once. The book is available in paperback and ebook format on these links at Amazon.com and Amazon.uk. Watch what it's all about on YouTube. Visit Seek Publications on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.