We are the Dragon Slayer
For some reason we have romantic notions about other times...more simple times. We envy the dragon slayer who rode free against the wind to the fight the dragon, save the princess and live his simple life ...happily ever after.
Dragon slaying was never a sport. We fight the demons so that we can survive and so did the dragon slayers of old. The dragons slayers wore hand woven cloth and primitive armor. The cloth itched and stunk of many rides against the wind (and more than a few dragon farts). The armor was heavy, uncomfortable and ineffective. Somebody had to weave the cloth and fashion the armor. They didn't order it from Outpost.com.
The dragon slayer went to save the princess because the King owned him. It was his job. He rode cursing the wind in his itchy clothes and heavy armor hoping his daughter wouldn't fuck peasants while he was away, hoping the kings enemies wouldn't storm the castle, rape his wife or steal his horses. He rode seeking out the dragon, scared shitless of finding it, feeling like an imposter, knowing that there was another younger, stronger, less burnt-out dragon slayer just waiting to take his shitty job from him. (Probably sucking up to the king right now, scarfing down a drumstick and eyeing noble babes while he was stuck riding miles, bouncing on his hemorrhoids and choking on dust looking for the stinking dragon that might be his last.)
The dragon slayer could be noble..or he could be an asshole. He was just a guy after all. Enlightenment was not bestowed upon dragon slayers as a perk. He wondered about the meaning of life, the sources of his fears, the future and the past. He considered both the origins of the universe and lunch.
There never were more romantic times or easier times. (Imagine trying to explain to the dragon slayer of old that you suffer from carpal tunnel...the keyboarding/mouse clicking occupational hazard. No doubt it would be your last explanation.) There never was a time that was more or less dangerous. There never was a time that was more or less insane. There never was a time when there wasn't new technology that scared the shit out of the old people and excited the young people. There never was a time when relationships were easier, life was simpler or grass was greener.
Slay your dragons. Appreciate your day. As Janis Joplin once said..."It's all the same fucking day...man!"