In my view the further away we get from the 14th century the better, that was a load of shit.
I think we are in agreement on that one. Electricity, running water -- hell,
clean drinking water -- freedom of speech, air conditioning, abundant food, vaccinations, modern medical care overall, easy transportation, endless forms of electronic entertainment, the relative stability of life in a First World country -- not only are we living the good life in the modern era, we're downright spoiled. Most of us now have the ability to meet basic survival needs with relative ease, leaving us with ample time to develop hobbies, explore our interests, and generally to develop ourselves as people. Frankly, a lot of us (myself included) squander these opportunities, and spend too much time moaning about how horrible our lives are. Overall, we have and take for granted luxuries that many of our ancestors couldn't even conceive of.
People who envy our ancestors of past generations are most likely taking for granted the freedom and time that we have to spend on idle discussions like this one. The majority of us have a lot more flexibility now to walk away from something we don't like, unlike many of our ancestors who may have, for instance, lived, died, and worked on the same plot of land for their entire lives. If anyone in human history up to this point should be envious of anyone else, everyone who lives in relative poverty or deprivation now or who has lived in that condition in centuries past should be envious of
us.