Quantum Entanglement as A New View on Human Connection
Photo by @Bence Halmosi
Recently I had the chance to get in touch with a good friend of mine with whom we have been very close, especially during my university years. Since I moved abroad, keeping in touch has been quite challenging.
We used to be roommates, spending our entire afternoons talking about poetry, music, life, and spirituality. We always felt exceptionally connected in a way that rarely we could even understand or explain.
Two years passed between my moving to Finland and our recent talk, and reconnecting has made me reflect deeply not only on our connection and the similarities of the things we went through during the distance but also on the incredible ways humans are linked, especially when the share a deep sympathy and compassion for each other.
In quantum physics, there’s this theory called “entanglement” - a phenomenon in which two particles become connected so that their properties become intertwined, regardless of the distance between them. Therefore modifying the characteristics of one particle will inevitably affect also the other one.
The implications of quantum entanglement are still being studied - I could go on for hours talking about it - but in one very recent and fascinating study conducted in late 2021, an international group of researchers reported they had successfully subjected a tardigrade (micro animal) to temporary quantum entanglement, representing the first time a living animal being quantum entangled.
Plenty of critics and researchers argue that quantum entanglement can happen only at the micro-unanimated level and that there’s no proof that this phenomenon can also apply to macro matter. However, humans (if we think of them as macro matter) are made of microparticles, and we can’t yet prove, define or even explain the nature and structure of our souls.
So - who knows - maybe quantum entanglement could one day explain how the interactions of humans with each other make us connected in a deeper way.
Tardigrade
Probably this might sound sci-fi to most, especially since I am no scientist, and these hypotheses are more like a flow of personal thoughts.
In this opinion article, I am not looking at the scientific side of things but more at the similarities between the two phenomena (quantum entanglement and human connections) and how sometimes what happens in nature and science can relate to more abstract topics too.
There’s a beautiful article by Brenè Brown that talks about spirituality and its definition, and that made me think of the connection with my friend and the theory of entanglement.
She describes in the article how spirituality is the inextricable connection with others by a greater power, and - whether an individual believes in diverse forms of it - there’s a critical variable in the path to true belonging.
From a scientific perspective, entanglement suggests that the universe is not a collection of isolated objects but rather a strongly interconnected and interdependent web of energy and matter.
Similar to how it happens in nature when we talk about human connection, our relationships with others are not isolated but are often interdependent. The energy and emotions we project into the world impact those around us, and vice versa can affect us. This suggests that we are not simply individuals living in isolation. We are more part of a wire of consciousness connecting us all.
On this understanding, many believe in the deeper unity and interconnectedness that underlies all existence and the universe as spirituality.
When we lose that connection with others, nature, and the rest of the universe, we also disconnect from ourselves. That’s when the negative energy starts emerging, and we act out of frustration, or grudge, forgetting that love can unite us again.
In the same way, when we do reconnect with our spirituality, we can feel renewed, and connecting with others happens more naturally.
I experienced this incredible connection with a few people in my life and my friend is one of these.
After eight years of our friendship, I can say to be confident enough that I won’t lose this person in my life, no matter what our souls will go through. That’s not because I believe two people will always be connected with the same intensity but instead because being aware of that possible connection will make us decide to be friends. Like in quantum entanglement, once connected to that level, what affects one is going inevitably to affect the other.
Fra and her friend
I hope you had experienced this phenomenon at least once in your life. The feeling of no matter how distant, your heart is that heart and their joy or pain is shared.
Also, something to be mindful of is to not mistake a strong empathy and connection with a toxic attachment.
Even though many people don’t believe in this type of connection,
I used to be one of those, strongly advocating for no-distance relationships or cutting off friends just because I moved somewhere else. However, this was until I experienced the deepest connection, no matter the distance.
It is true that distance brings challenges and since we are in constant change and growth, many times it can happen that meeting an old friend doesn’t feel quite right anymore.
But that’s because maybe the connection was always a bit shallow, or the relationship was based on hobbies and things in common, which often change while growing up or changing the environment.
In your life, starve to create these deeper connections, nurture them and they will always bring a sense of fulfillment that doesn’t depend on external factors (as their life situations changed, or they moved abroad, or you don’t share the same passions).
Establish the entanglement and make a meaningful relationship that can last long-term!
