Every era has it good and not so good points, but I see it not so much in terms of hardships but as a tradeoff between fewer conveniences and security offset by greater freedom
Folks are always happy to get conveniences - indoor plumbing, washing machines and dryers, faster trains, planes, air conditioning; but those who lived without also lived without income tax, without having your every move tracked by cameras everywhere, being able to order firearms and have them delivered to your door plus a thousand other freedoms we've lost that someone in 1850 or 1910 or 1950 took for granted, just as we take flush toilets for granted. Add a much lower population meaning much more land to hunt, smaller towns,
way fewer "No Trespassing" signs, no urban sprawl unless you wanted to live in a big city. 12 year old kids riding their bikes to the edge of town to go hunting with their .22 with no one giving them a second look.
In the 50's as a 6-8 year old kid I had to have some cavities filled - no novocaine, the dentist's assistant tickled me while he drilled into the nerve. Didn't help much as I recall. But that was over in 15 minutes, then the rest of the time I didn't worry about school shootings and rode my bike all over town with the only injunction being to be home in time for dinner. In 1970 riding my motorcycle through the middle of Ft. Lauderdale with a shotgun strapped to the back to go duck hunting, no one sicced the police on me. Watching All in the Family, Blazing Saddles and a hundred other shows and movies that would never be made today.
Trade-offs. Pick what's most important - convenience and security or freedom. I'd give up a bit more of the former in favor of the latter.
Just don't ask me what era of the Dark or Middle Ages I'd like to live in, that answer would be none of them...
