Many people commenting seen to be nostalgic of those times. Don't let that cloud your judgment! Technology is incredibly important and it always has been, it is what gave you fire and the wheel , horse shoes, fences, the clothes you wear! It was as important in the mid 20th century as it is today. The problem is not computers, plastics, microwaves and fossil fuels. The problem is human greed, impatience, ignorance, tunnel vision. What if after building an engine that ran on fossil fuel we had kept researching until we had something clean before mass producing it?
Granted technology is poorly used today and instead of spending on health we spend on war. But one should not wish to "go back to the good ol' days" they don't exist anymore. How about we wish for a great future instead with balance between technology and nature.