Wow, so a rare and small bunch indeed.
I do not think just any old monkey can do this to be honest. Let's step back and look at private pilot training for a second. You're strapping on a 30+ year old rickety 'ol aircraft that gets bounced around like a toy when a butterfly flaps its wings. You are controlling this aircraft on 4 dimensions let's say (x, y, z, and airspeed). You are using your hands and feet together to accomplish literally do-or-die maneuvers (a.k.a. final approach) in a way that is completely foreign to you. Think about being bounced all around, blown left and right on final, up and down like a roller coaster in a small single piston....you think ANYBODY could sit through that calmly? You're operating in an ever-more complex airspace system. You are operating in complete chaos (a.k.a. weather...weather is chaos even on a calm day). You are actively avoiding other air traffic (the old saying "the sky is big, you'll never hit anything" is the biggest bunch of BULL ever). In order to pass the written and oral, you have to take in a *vast* amount of material covering a very broad range. Ultimately, you need the courage (let's face it, flying is a *little* scary) and the perseverance to get through the program.
I don't think "any 'ol monkey" could do that. I think you guys truly are a special group and I hope to join your ranks in the coming months.