[kbenson]

But they are absolutely not for everyone.

Why not? I'm not saying I disagree, but your argument is weak. Sometimes it's not the accomplishment that matters, but the attempt. Whether the attempt at these actions is beneficial or not hasn't been addressed at all. That seems to me to be an important omission in an discussion about what are essentially life experiences.

But I would never suggest someone else shouldn't spend their time that way because that would be assuming a great deal about what's important to them.

In some respect, what important to them does not matter. Who they are and what they feel is important at that moment may very well be small subset of what they will consider important throughout their life. In the dispensing of advice for the purpose of changing someone's outlook on life, whether their current outlook agrees with it or not is irrelevant.