I don't think it's normal in mainstream education - mainstream education seems to reward obedience and fact-memorization above all else. Critical thinking and c

I don't think it's normal in mainstream education - mainstream education seems to reward obedience and fact-memorization above all else. Critical thinking and creativity tend to be tolerated at best, punished at worst. But difficult for difficult? Maybe it's because challenges can stimulate you to find new ways there. I like playing the highest difficult levels of Civilization IV - itself one of the hardest and most complex games ever made - because it forces you to keep re-examining and questioning your assumptions. Strategies that work on the lower levels get you stomped on upper levels, so you're forced to adjust to a whole new style of play and find solutions you never even thought about. Good for the mind.