To answer your question "when", Bill...

The problem is that bodies, or body-minds, think in terms of time because they exist in time. The Spirit does not. It exists outside of time, outside of form, beyond numbering things, and outside of any measurable distance or separation of any kind whatsoever. A body-mind can talk about that, but cannot grasp it...or see it...or do anything with it. How do you grasp the formless, dimensionless, and timeless?

Contrary to what you said, there have indeed been cases when people remembered 'past' lives under very primitive circustances.

You think in terms of "now" and "then". To the Spirit it is only Now. You think in terms of "here" and "there". To the Spirit, existence is everywhere simultaneously. You think in terms of "you" and "me". To the spirit, we are inseparable aspects of One Being.

You think that this planet is the ONLY place we can incarnate. It's one of an ifinite number of places (and times, and dimensions) in which we can incarnate. You could kill everyone on this planet, destroy the whole globe, and life would take form elsewhere. You could destroy our galaxy. It wouldn't matter. Spirit cannot die. It takes form where and when it will.

And, no, I do not require or expect you to believe any of that, and if doesn't even matter whether or not you do. ;-)

But it is an answer to your questions.

I have had any number of times when I sort of wished I wasn't here...but that's not exactly the same thing as contemplating suicide. I could never think of a method that I was willing to use. I just sort of wanted to check out, but wasn't willing to throw the switch, as it were. Just sort of vaguely wished the switch would throw itself somehow. I think it's a death wish that motivates people to do many risky things, such as, driving very recklessly, taking drugs, smoking, anorexia, and so on. It's not NECESSARILY a death wish, mind you, but in some cases it is. I've seen any number of people commit slow suicide by means of their self-destructive habits. Our society encourages them to, as a matter of fact, because it's often quite profitable for certain sectors.