In regards to the plane sitting comfort, I think it's relative to the current normalized standard, not to the past of what didn't even exist. So it's true that the past didn't even have planes to have seats on, but that's immaterial to the relative issue of seat comfortability on the plane we are sitting in now vs. other seats we have sat in.
We could be on a chair on the ground and think similarly. after all, if we have the technology to fly people, and the ease of making comfortable chairs to sit in, combining the two isn't so far off to expect in modern times. It's not a "right" we are entitled to, but we can expect certain advancements to follow in some cases,like the seat comfort advancements that have existed for a while to go along with plane technology.
As the old adage goes:
Hard times create strong men
Strong men create good times
Good times create weak men
Weak men create hard times
True.
It's in movies and history, people who had less, motivated to get more, who give it too easily to their offspring who don't work hard to keep or make things better. I forget where I saw this depicted, but one father was saying how he focuses and does work in some field in order to make the world better so that his son can focus on things like art, music, and enjoying life. But that wouldn't very well last, would it? Without the drive to keep the world better, a focus on the "finer" enjoyments of life would allow those with less integrity and principles to reverse the course and corrupt things once more.
I suppose our perceived "entitlement" to a certain level of comfort is relative to what we are accusteomed to.
It's good to have technology that allows us to pursue things like art, philosophy, leisure etc. finding the balance between scraping by to barely survive and so being fat, comfortable, and lazy that we end up declining motivationally, morally, and to the point of self destruction is a challenge, to say the least in this modern world .