The Age of Civilization

home, in his office or travelling, he enjoys a comfortable life. Today a civilized life means a comfortable life. The age of civilization has potentially brought the age of war to an end. War and violence in this age have become as irrelevant as trying to light a fire in the kitchen by knocking two stones together instead of using matchsticks or a lighter. Nowadays, no one lights a fire in the kitchen in a way that has become obsolete. But we see that, even today, the way of war and violence is regularly opted for, although it is a completely uncivilized option—one which had relevance only in primitive ages. Then why is it that, even in this age of civilization, the course of war is taken, and has not been entirely abandoned? The reason is that although man successfully discovered the method of converting matter into technology, he failed to discover the art of difference management. The art of difference management is still an underdeveloped science. Difference is a part of nature. Difference serves as a boosting factor for one’s intellectual development. If there are no differences, there will be no intellectual development. Therefore, difference is not an evil. The real problem arises when we are unable to manage differences. What is the art of difference management? It is to settle differences through peaceful negotiations. It is to apply reason to the issue of differences such as was applied to the discoveries of nature.