I love this thread, I can relate to a lot of the posts, the OP especially. In fact i think that I'm going to write a poem concerning this, I think that it's a good topic to write about.

Biking is my escape as well. I wish there was a really good trail near me, but there isn't. But I make do with cycling in the near by country side, and I'm building a small trail in some woods by myself at the moment. I need to look at how legal that is before I continue though. Just going out, whatever the weather, what ever the time of day, clears my head, and I enjoy it. Even if I come back injured (like last night), I feel that it's worth it.

Also, that's an interesting post about the countries with most money are the least happy. It's just modern society, and yes some of the tech is good, but I think it would be better if we stepped back a bit, and the world could 'rewind' and reflect on the past as well. There are too many ignorant people nowadays anyway.