It might feel dreadful because of the news we're fed, but it is one of the most peaceful times, ever. This is a fact.
Go back to the Middle Ages or Ancient times. This year might not be as peaceful as say, ten years ago. But if you compare it to even 50 years ago, it is a lot more peaceful. When you compare it to 100/200 years ago... it is a completely different world, a lot more peaceful. 500 years? We might as well be on another planet. They were killing each other and going to war for fun.
From Quora:
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Originally posted by Jamie Cawley, Author of 'Beliefs and the World they have created', 2015 and 'The Birth of Now'
If we look at periods like the 'peaceful' second half of the 19th century, just as an example, there was the horrific Tai Ping revolt in China (15-20 million deaths, largely through starvation though), the American civil war, death toll around 500,000, the war of the Triple alliance in South America, which left Paraguay with almost no men at all (400,000 about killed), the Crimean war, various wars in Africa - it was the time of the great Zulu expansion - the genocide in Patagonia (unknown numbers, although ears had to be brought back to claim the bounty for slaughtering the locals), the Batak massacre of Bulgarians. And so on and on.
But, of course, most people have not heard about most of these, nor the constant undercurrent of murders etc. that continued in even the most developed countries of the time - remember that the first official Police force dates only from 1829. Today you can travel almost all of the world with minimal fear of harm (I live in China and I, my family and friends travel widely with only a few areas causing concern - some of the Middle East, parts of the Ukraine and always cautious in South America and away from towns in Africa).
So we need to keep a sense of perspective. The focus of the News is trouble, you used to get enough locally but you have to go half a world away to find it now.
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