This year marks 100 years since the end of the war to end all wars. Well, we got that one wrong, didn’t we?

It seems to me that, as we stand today, there are more people than ever trying to knock seven shades of whatever out of their fellow man.

All around the world there are nations fighting other nations, countries fighting countries, and neighbours fighting neighbours. The president to end all presidents seems set to drop the bomb to end all bombs on whoever he doesn’t like this week.

Innocent citizens everywhere, everyday, are being killed and maimed as a bi-product of someone else’s battle, someone else’s greed, or someone else’s religion.

When I was a lad at school, the map of the world showed the British Empire picked out in red. Africa, India, Australia, Canada, you name it, we owned it.

But when you think about it, Britain has had its share of takeover bids. The Vikings, the Romans and the Normans, for example.

But as a nation, the British have nothing to be proud of. We’ve robbed and pillaged with the best of them.

But is it just me or are things getting worse? Open any newspaper, switch on TV at any time of the day and you will see wall to wall violence, death and destruction. It never ends.

It seems to me that wherever you go or whatever you do you can be never be sure that you will be safe.

Just imagine lying on a beach in the sun in one of the popular resorts.

The last thing on your mind would be the thought of a gang of armed terrorists coming ashore in small boats and opening fire.

Same thing in the UK. Tower Bridge, Manchester Arena, bombs going off in the underground or on a bus. You name it, it’ll happen.

And who can ever forget Nine-11? Any world leader who threatens, boasts and blusters like President Donald Trump, that’s who.

The fact is, I despair for the future. It seems to me that half of the world leaders are egomaniacs and the other half are megalomaniacs, and it doesn’t matter which is which.

When I think of the millions and millions of people who are dying of malnutrition, starvation and thirst in our world, and the billions of dollars, rubles and pounds that are wasted on bombs and missiles needed to kill someone, it makes me feel ill.

And what about the ordinary man in the street? Are we any better?

Do we teach our children to respect authority or do we, as a society, spend more time teaching them how to demand their rights and entitlements? Think about the stabbings and shootings that are now common place in London and Liverpool.

Why does it happen? Why are these young people so vicious?

Because, my friends, you only reap from what you sow. All creatures learn what they know from their parents.

No, I know that we don’t teach them how to murder and maim each other to get what they want, but neither do we teach them, or so it seems, how to show respect.

We expose them to violence and pornography on the internet.

From an early age we teach them about gender and sex and war games. I well remember a severe telling off by my mother when I used the word ’damn’.

Try a walk past a school bus shelter some time and listen.

I am not a church-goer and I am not what they say a great believer in either deities or devils, but if we all lived by what is called the ’Ten Commandments’, we couldn’t go far wrong.

’In six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth.’

I would respectfully add, ’...and on the seventh day, he pressed the self destruct button and stood back to watch what happened’.