These rewards have been substantially eroded
over the years though, particularly in recent
(post-911) years.

Well, yes, but the hassle of flying commercially has increased far more
than the hassle of flying onesself (except in the DC area). My wife is
far more inclined even on longer trips now to propose taking the little
airplane rather than the aluminum tube.

While safety concerns have increased, ways to deal with them have too.
GPS and Nexrad are examples of this.

I don't think people are "stressed to death about the responsibility
they take on every time they climb out of bed". CYA is more built into
people's MO nowadays, but not in a stressful way (except perhaps as the
recipient).

An activity has to be fun and rewarding for it to be pursued. It still is.

Jose
--
"Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where
it keeps its brain." (chapter 10 of book 3 - Harry Potter).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.