My first reaction to this thread was that its such a ridiculous notion, we would all love to just do the good fun things in life but if the chit wasnt there how would you appreciate any of the good stuff.

life is full of ups and downs and i believe thats what makes it more interesting. if everything was constantly brilliant and you could easily do anything your heart desired then what would be the point, kids who have too many toys dont really play with many of them, people who are used to having everything can barely survive without it, but on the other hand kids who dont get everything learn to appreciate the things they do get and the things they all ready have, and people who are used to surviving on next to nothing enjoy it even more when they have enough money saved to go on a long awaited well deserved holiday for example. i just feel that the bad times make the good times even better. and besides without schooling and education what would be the point in travelling around the world you wouldnt have the skills and brains to do those things as they require planning and organisation, an ability to keep track of time and get to flights on time etc all the seeminly unimportant things that we actually do aquire from school by getting up every morning getting ready and getting to school on time making sure you have the right books with you for the right lessons to get from lesson to lesson on time, even socialisation begins at pre school for alot of children, school is more educational than just the in class stuff.

oh and a tip about the depressing stuff in the papers i agree with you its totally annoying but thats why i just dont read the news papers anymore, no one forces us to read about it just because its there.

as for time with those we love i'm sure many would agree they dont have enough time its all about trying to find a balance that works for you.

i think the only point to life is the here and now. why doesnt really matter much as even if i knew why would it make anything different? would it change my life or would the world just continue to be the same?