[Dalewyn]

The west (and some tag-alongs like Japan) is living in a golden age of unprecedented peace and prosperity.

The world at large has other ideas, especially continental Asia and the Middle East where people seemingly can't stop brutally killing each other.

[eru]

Have you had a look at the graph of GDP per capita in eg Bangladesh recently?

PR China has also seen enormous advances in prosperity, and hasn't been in a major war in 70 years, either. In India obesity is a bigger problem than starvation. And approximately everyone can afford a smartphone, too.

South East Asia is doing fairly well, too, compared to historical averages. Even Sub Saharan Africa is finally starting to catch up.

Yes, there are still wars, alas. But by and large people are richer and living more peaceful lives.

We could look at statistics, if you wish. (I was looking for a graph of casualties of war over time for my previous comment, but couldn't find one that was recent enough, sorry.)

The founding Prime Minister of my own adopted home of Singapore wrote a book called 'From Third World to First'. And he's right.

[ithkuil]

We have to put things in perspective.

During the Balkan wars about 5% of Europe's population lived in a country that was at war.

Yet that time period was relatively peaceful compared to the first half of the 20th century where Europe went through two total conflicts.

Yet for me the war in Yugoslavia was of personal significance and I felt it and its longer term effects closely.

But it wouldn't be fair for me to just dismiss that the second half of the 20th century was a time of peace and prosperity in Europe, because a part of it was burning in flames and committing atrocities to who were their brothers 5 minutes before.

The precariousness of peace is what makes it so valuable.

Yes. There are conflicts all around the world. Wars. Oppression. Injustice. Racism.

I don't think that recognizing that we're living unprecedentedly peaceful and just times is going to make those conflicts and injustices worse.

Quite the contrary. I feel that never recognizing the successes and progress that humanity has made in many of those fronts is what will eventually doom us to regress.