We have lost - or misplaced - many skills and much knowledge that previous generations had.
(Reading Jean M. Auel's books - Clan of the Cave Bear was the first in a series - really helped me appreciate how much we have lost in knowledge of things like herbal medicine and basic survival - and also inspired amazement at how new things are/were discovered)
Many of us are still 'behind' on the new things.
Most of us manage to somehow survive in the present.