At each leap of evolution, there has been a corresponding moment where the individual component part was subsumed into something greater than itself. Mitochondrian lost a certain aspect of their individuality as unique cells when they became part of the more complex cell of the future. But the greater organism generally has a higher level of awareness and complexity than any of its predecessors.
If we accept that evolution is a process by which matter moves towards higher states of complexity and greater levels of awareness, and it does so by developing individuals as far as they can go, and then combining them into new, networked beings, then what is happening to us becomes obvious. We are evolving into a new, colonial life form.
