[Acting Like Godot]

But these "things" are undoubtedly real, whether we perceive them or not. It's like that old saw; if a tree falls in the forest, etc. etc.

I think you might be misunderstanding Einstein's question. He is making the point that you REALLY cannot prove that without your observation, anything exists.

I find the idea somewhat arrogant - not you, ALG, but the concept - that our perceptions are the be-all and the end-all of reality.

Here you have confused the "consciousness causes collapse" theory with Steve Pavlina's theory.

The CCC theory does not say that it is YOUR consciousness, or MY consciousness, that creates ALL of reality. If you follow the CCC theory to its logical conclusion, it only predicts that there is a consciousness which is constantly observes everything in existence. It does not say anything about whether the consciousness is yours or mine or anybody else's.

In other words, the suggestion is that there could be some all-encompassing, fairly universal kind of intelligence everywhere. You could call it God, if that word makes sense to you, or you could call it Whatever, and yes, it is possible that your consciousness (or mine) is a small part of it.