Nor did it go up thousands of percent over the past decade
Nobody parks cash at a bank looking for returns. They're looking for a stable store of value. ETH appreciation is not a selling point for replacing a bank, even if the return happens to be positive (right now, with hindsight).
My loss, I guess
1 ETH = 1 ETH still.
The numbers are irrelevant over time. Can you buy the same things for 1 ETH now as you could then?
Dollars have similar problems, for more depraved reasons.
That all depends on the time points you are comparing to. 1 ETH now is $1400. 3 years ago it was $180.
Can you buy the same things for 1 USD as you could then? (no)
No, but it's close. USD's swings are a hell of a lot less wild, even in high-inflation years.
They certainly are less wild. It also only trends in one direction.