By the way, Dr. Lanza, I am sure you would agree, is no quack. After all, he and his team of experts pioneered embryonic stem cell research at Harvard University. I believe he is investigating how damaged optic nerve fibers can be restored through the use of these cells.

I have decided to read Proof of Heaven; it is a work concerning neurosurgeon Eben Alexander's afterlife experience.

Read "Beyond Grief"; it appears within the website EzineArticles.com .

Goya seemed to recognize some of the "dreams" that may "come once we have shuffled off this mortal coil". (Shakespeare, Hamlet)

I agree with you. Sanders is a true politician "of the people . . . and for the people". (Abraham Lincoln)

Thanks for the sublime, thorough response to my inquiry. It is fascinating to think that, as you state, in essence, all entities in the universe are interconnected, interdependent, unified, indeed entangled. I know that Robert Lanza is a bit of a maverick within the world of science. Yet, I find his concept of biocentrism exciting because he sees, in Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe, the universe as a creation of consciousness, of, perhaps, a universal network of thoughts, of which we are all a part. Moreover, to him, death does not exist. For instance, he believes that we are, and forever will be, energetic forces of intelligence, of awareness, and that our bodies are just recyclable forms of matter that manage to contain these types of phenomena for a limited period of time. He says, "Until we recognize the universe in our heads, attempts to understand reality will remain a road to nowhere." (Lanza, "Biocentrism", article) It is nice to be welcomed into your community.

As a tyro-nerd who is hungry for knowledge, my hope is to find some sort of sustenance through attempting to understand quantum science. In particular, I wish to explore various interpretations of quantum entanglement, for the thought of particles being able to physically transmit information to each other notwithstanding the distance between them is astonishing to me. Are humans part of one huge, cosmic brain that never stops receiving knowledge?

I am impressed with your recall abilities. I vaguely remember the connection between the story and the deranged behaviors of Chapman and Hinkley. Because you mentioned Holden's sister Phoebe, it occurred to me that she, along with his friend Jane, appear to be the only glimmers of light in his life. Perhaps the message that Salinger tries to highlight, through a young person's point of view, which at times can be gross, is that, to some degree, most people are "little shits" that eventually become, in some respects, "big shits". In other words, he attempts to expose the imperfections of human existence with which we all must contend. Thanks for the insight. I will finish the work and let you know how I feel about it thereafter. Have a nice day!

I have lived beyond thirty years. I welcome your further assessment of this work. Are there gender issues involved in being able to appreciate this piece? I am a female.

Thanks.

Yesterday I began reading The Catcher in the Rye for the first time. The first hundred pages reveal, in an overly blunt, tasteless fashion, Salinger's depiction of a frightened, depressed, bitter young man. It is not a work that I am eager to complete.