When people talk about "simpler times" they act as though they only existed in the distant past, somehow out of reach.

That seems an unnecessarily large scale.

While an "era" in the past may have been comparatively simpler to the one we are in now, this same relationship occurs during and throughout every day.

Was a fight not simpler when it was a mere disagreement?
Was a conflict not easier to solve when it was only a question?

In my experience, remembering the simplicity of origin is the key. To leave things easy is not to add your own complication.