Objectively, we’re in one of the least violent, most materially comfortable eras in human history. Yet, instead of easing tensions, that comfort seems to create new voids. With less real adversity, people redirect their natural drive for conflict, identity, and meaning into abstract or symbolic “wars” (culture wars, ideological purity battles, endless online disputes). It’s like we’re hardwired to seek struggle, and when survival no longer requires it, we invent mock arenas.