The 'good ol' days'

So last week Concordia's Wind Ensemble had a concert. And it was very good. They even played the Pirates of the Caribbean theme... which was very well done. But it brought me back to the thoughts I have about 'the good ol' days' and how people wish they would come back.
Why do we make pirates of the days of old seem so cool? Honestly, I would never want to be one. To be on a ship for months without end. And then to have lice and fleas. Of course, depending on how long one was out at sea, scurvey would probably affect you. And then you have to have these dangerous fights, where if you get shot in the leg, it's likely it will get infected with gangrene and have to be cut off - without anesthesia, only a bullet to bite on and a little whiskey to pull you through.
And what about the pirates we have now? We're not applauding their actions because they're pirates, trying to bring back the good times of pillaging on the high seas. In fact, we worry for the hostages and their families. That's the exact same thing that people felt back when. So why would anyone want to say, "I'd love to be a pirate" ?
And then there's people who say they'd love to have lived in the 18th or 19th century. Sure, it would be nice to go to those fancy balls. But would that really be worth the likelihood of dying of cholera or scarlet fever or smallpox? Or, for women, the high probability of dying during childbirth? How about if you got sick, even with just a short-term flu? You would get a nice session of bloodletting with leeches. And personally, as a female, I would hate that all I could do is sit around and sew, gossip, and wear a corset that is rearranging the organs in my abdomen and not allowing me to breathe.
I'm sure there were interesting things in the past. But you could never make me live there. I'm sure the future might be better, too, and people from the future will not understand how we lived the way we do. But I prefer now, the 21st century. Not everything is perfect, but it's better than before. I'll just read about the past, enjoy the present, and take in the future day by day.
~Jessica