This is a tangent discussion, based on natural philosophy.

Humanity is combining its sense of security with the low price of convenience and comfort that has been provided by cheap energy. While it does so, we are relegating our agency to machines and a few people who sell comforts and conveniences.

Many religions have tried to pass down lessons of how suffering is important to long term survival, but they didn't have the cheap energy that modern humans have for alleviating suffering. Unfortunately, our competitive consumption of modern conveniences has become the goal, rather than simple satisfaction of needs.

Nostalgia bias causes people to believe the antidote is to make everyone suffer (at least anyone not as rich as 'me') to 'get back to the "good ole' days", instead of intelligently changing our systems from competition to cooperation. Cooperation is so much more complicated and doesn't pay as much as being mean.

PS. I went to a school much like yours. Two rooms, 7 grades, 2 teachers. Old books. Yes, the 60s in rural USA.