Tony Deyal | What’s this world coming to?

I was trying to understand where we are now in March 2026. More importantly, considering what this world is coming to, where do we go from here? I was looking at a column about people and it scared me in terms of how bad, tough and scary things are now, and what will happen in the years ahead.

In fact, I read one that made me worry about the future: “Abner was seated at his wife’s sickbed, weeping uncontrollably, when his wife, mustering the dregs of her strength, drew herself up to one elbow. ‘Abner,’ she whispered, ‘Abner, I cannot go to my Maker without confessing my misdeed.’ ‘Not now,’ muttered the stricken husband. ‘Not now, my dear. Lie back and rest.’ ‘I cannot,’ she cried. ‘I must tell, or my soul will never know peace. I have been unfaithful to you, Abner. In this very house, not one month ago.’ Abner responded, ‘Hush, dear,’ soothed Abner. ‘I know all about it. Why else have I poisoned you?’ “

What was even worse was to know that the writer was Isaac Asimov, the science-fiction short story expert. This worried me even more when I found that the article was in December 1956, one year after I was born. I asked myself, if he was so well known and liked then, what will happen in the years ahead, not only by him but others who would follow Isaac Asimov’s work. Already there are others who are “porn and revenge” attackers and say things like, “Why did the lion go to therapy? He found out his wife was a cheetah.” Or another one boasting, “To err is human; to blame others shows management potential.” Fortunately, I found one that was better in a way, but I am definitely not sure where it goes from here, “I told my wife she should embrace her mistakes … so she gave me a hug.”

The issue, though, is whether poison, cheetah, hug and other things, good, bad and fearful, are not just out of this world but will get even worse in the years to come. In fact, we might never have any again. In other words, it is possible that we, the earthly state of human existence and the people of the world, have no idea when their time will come. The event is usually referred to as the “end of the world” (eschaton) and is described in 2 Peter 3:10, “The heavens will disappear in a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” Even worse, it is the culmination of a series of events called “the day of the Lord”. This is when God intervenes in human history for the purpose of judgement. At that time, all that God had created, “the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) he would destroy. More frightening is what Jesus said in Matthew 24.35, “The end of the world involves judgement, destruction and renewal.”

Fortunately, other people see the world differently. In fact, there are many who see several and different planets instead of only one. For example, John Bleasdale (Variety 2023), said, “This tour gives us the chance to combine the best of both musical worlds.” Another said that, for thousands and thousands of years, that was the centre of the grape-growing world. Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, felt that, “In a world at war with the rat, a defence of the enemy might seem hopeless.” To end it and add some more concern, “All these things are in the universe but are definitely not a part of our own world.”

Unfortunately, while there are different worlds and people, the majority now ask what the world is coming to. More than anything else, the focus on modern technology, societal changes, climate change, and other developments gives us the feeling that things were simple in the past, but not again. In fact, one can hear people say that every day is worse than the day before. The ones in the Caribbean that many of us are concerned about include voice and face for porn, as well as revenge and pure wickedness. One that is getting worse is AI (artificial intelligence) for students, tutors, and job losses. There are also scammers who tell people that they could get a lot of money but must send some first to “collect”. One person (and might be more) got scammed for more than $8,000. So far, none of the scammers have been caught.

Then there are others like romantic “hot-men” using the Internet to scam many women for lots of money. Additionally, there are “Trojans” or malware crooks who steal our banks and credit card numbers if we have them on our online computers. Worst of all, predators misrepresent who they are and pretend to love kids, very small ones especially, by pretending to be friendly adults. The Internet is part of everyday life for kids — it’s where they learn, socialise, and explore. But, just as in the real world, not everyone online has good intentions. Predators use deception and manipulation to target children, often hiding behind fake identities to build trust before making harmful requests. In fact, the Trinidad Police failed to protect a child pornography victim and the appeal court awarded $100,000 in damages to the victim.

There are many other areas including tech and modern life, especially privacy and automation. An old lady actually said, “What is the world coming to when you can’t leave your house for five minutes without your smart fridge texting you to ask why you didn’t take any leftovers?” Then an automation asked a chatbot (a software designed to simulate human conversation), “What is the world coming to?” The chatbot replied, “I am not programmed to answer that, but I can order you a pizza.” On climate change, there was a question, “How many climate sceptics does it take to change a lightbulb?” It turned out to be “None. It’s more cost-effective to live in the dark!” Then one of the Heatwaves complained, “It’s so hot that I saw a politician with his hands in his own pocket.” In terms of “misinformation”, one senior leader was upset and asked, “What’s the world coming to? I told my friend the Earth was round and he demanded that I give him proof.” Worse, when it comes to Bureaucracy, even the Lord had problems. Actually, in the year 2026, the Lord went up to Noah, one of the major patriarchs, and demanded, “Build an Ark.” Noah replied immediately, “I’m still waiting for the environmental impact study and a building permit.”

So, once more, we must look and listen to what the people of the world believe is the truth. One group said that the earth’s surface is 70 per cent water and, because the water is uncarbonated, the earth is flat. Another group got upset and made it clear, “If the earth really is flat, wouldn’t cats have pushed everything off the edge by now?” At this point scientists got so bored of hearing the others while watching the earth spin that, after 24 hours, they called it a day.

Tony Deyal agreed that, in the beginning, God created heaven and earth. After that, everything else was made in China. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com