@commonlaw, I had and have the same thoughts on wars you do. Though I would like to add some things.

There is also no place in history where someone somewhere has not experienced freedom either. Places were thriving in time and space in the same way other places and people were suffering.

Take your family history for example?

My grand parents and parents suffered from war. I myself "profited" from it. The years after the second world war were years of rebuilding, re-newing and re-creating. Governments made new contracts with other governments and payed for some of the damages. Not only in money, also in respecting the history of those who went through the war.

I am 48 years old and I never suffered hunger, thirst, physical punishment through warlords and their helpers. I always had shelter and safety. I am not rich, not even wealthy.

After war, Germany built one of the most successful social security systems one can imagine.
Actually, the Germans unlearned to appreciate this. I observe this during the years I started to work as a social worker. The most unappreciative people are the natives I would say.

We are having full functioning streets, auditoriums, libraries, theaters, public places, shops, you name it.

But what a government and what companies feel not obliged to do is to provide us with ethics and morals as this exactly was something people willingly dropped as spiritual maturation should not come from authorities. Nevertheless, some form of accepted authority should indeed provide people with ethics. If it's not the government (only managing money but not attaching morals to the management) and not the celestial institutions the one and only moral agent left is the individual.

From what I see here is that many of my own folks really get hooked to complaining about almost everything.

The accomplishment of having divided the powers is often celebrated as success. But when the power itself is gone, what exactly will fill the gap?

So I turned towards studying Buddhism and the ethical history of religions and related topics. I must educate myself. This is time consuming but worth it.

In this highly individualized times one is challenged to become ones own agent. But preferably not being and feeling alone with that task.
That's also, why we are here, right?