Even if I do not totally follow the book, I really enjoy reading Descent Into Hell. And my favorite character is Lawrence Wentworth. He is such an extreme character and very different than me. After reading about him, we all understand that he only likes what he wants to be true and hates reality. That is such a dangerous thing! You become contained in your own world rejecting whats going on in reality. And when that happens, isn't that the "hell" we descend to? Locked inside ourselves? Wentworth has choices of how he can react, how he can participate in reality, and what truths he accepts, but he doesn't.

Maybe society today isn't so ready to say they hate reality, but we so often disregard what we read in the paper or see on TV and go on living life like it isn't there. Or after arguing with a close friend, there are issues that need to be resolved, but you just act like its water under the bridge. Are we all falling or descending into hell and not knowing it? At this point, I don't think Wentworth realizes it. Do we?

We have to die to ourselves. Only believing what YOU want, is not dying to yourself. It's saying, "I'll do what I want." I think we have to accept reality for what it is, not trying to alter it for our current benefit or to make us feel better.