Ihlabathi Liya Lisaluphala
NGOWE-1513, umhloli wamazwe waseSpeyin uJuan Ponce de León wawela ulwandle esinge kunxweme olungaziwayo eMntla Merika. Enye ingxelo ithi ekubeni ummandla awawufumanayo wawugutyungelwe ziintyatyambo, wawuthiya igama elithi Florida, elithetha “Ukuba Neentyatyambo” ngesiSpanish. Kwakulula ukufumana igama. Ukufeza injongo yohambo lwakhe—ukufumana umthombo onamanzi onamandla okwenza abantu abakhulileyo babe batsha—kwabonakala kungenakwenzeka. Emva kokuhlolisisa eli lizwe kangangeenyanga, lo mhloli wayeka ukufuna umthombo wasentsomini wobutsha waza wahamba.
Nangona imithombo yobutsha ingafumaneki namhlanje njengakwimihla kaPonce de León, kubonakala ukuba umntu uye wafumana oko umbhali uBetty Friedan akubiza ngokuthi “ngumthombo wokwaluphala.” Wathetha oku ngenxa yokwanda okukhulu kwabantu abakhulileyo emhlabeni wonke. Ngoko baninzi kakhulu abantu abaluphalayo ngoku kangangokuba abantu abaphila emhlabeni bayatshintsha. Eneneni, ihlabathi liyaluphala.
“Omnye Wemiqobo Emikhulu Uluntu Oluye Lwayoyisa”
Inkcazelo yamanani iyasityebisela. Ekuqaleni kwale nkulungwane, kwanakwawona mazwe atyebileyo, umntu wayelindeleke ukuba aphile iminyaka engaphantsi kwama-50 ukususela ekuzalweni kwakhe. Namhlanje, iye yantinga yaya kutsho kwiminyaka engaphezu kwama-75. Ngokukwanjalo, kumazwe asakhasayo anjengeHonduras, i-Indonesia, iTshayina neVietnam, umntu ulindeleke ukuba aphile iminyaka eyongezelelekileyo engama-25 ukususela kwixesha lokuzalwa kwakhe kunokuba kwakunjalo kwiminyaka engamashumi amane edluleyo. Nyanga nganye, abantu abasisigidi emhlabeni wonke baba neminyaka engama-60 ubudala. Okothusayo kukuba, asingabo abantu abaselula kodwa ngabo baneminyaka engama-80 ubudala nabangaphezulu, ‘abona bakhulileyo,’ ngoku abaliqela labantu elanda ngokukhawuleza emhlabeni.
Kwiphephancwadi iScience, umhlolisisi nombhali wenani labantu uEileen Crimmins uthi: “Ukwandisa ixesha lokuphila kwabantu kuye kwaba ngomnye wemiqobo emikhulu uluntu oluye lwayoyisa.” IZizwe Ezimanyeneyo ziyavumelana noku, kwaye ukutsalela ingqalelo kule mpumelelo, ziye zamisela unyaka wowe-1999 njengoNyaka Wazwenibanzi Wabantu Abakhulileyo.—Bona ibhokisi kwiphepha 3.
Okufunekayo—Kukutshintsha Kwembono
Noko ke, lo mqobo uye woyiswa awutshintshi minyaka ekulindeleke ukuba abantu bayiphile kuphela. Ukwaquka ukutshintsha indlela umntu akujonga ngayo ukwaluphala. Liyinyaniso elokuba, abantu abaninzi basakhathazwa yingcamango yokwaluphala, bade boyike, kuba ukukhula ngeminyaka ngokuqhelekileyo kunxulunyaniswa nobuthathaka bomzimba nengqondo enkenenkene. Noko ke, abaphengululi abafunde ngokwaluphala bagxininisa ukuba ukwaluphala nokugula zizinto ezimbini ezahlukeneyo. Yahluke ngokupheleleyo indlela abaluphala ngayo abantu. Abaphengululi bathi, kukho umahluko phakathi komntu okhulayo ngeminyaka nomntu owaluphalayo. (Bona ibhokisi ethi “Kuthetha Ukuthini Ukwaluphala?”) Ngamanye amazwi, ukukhula ngeminyaka nokwaluphala akuthethi nto inye.
Eneneni, njengoko usaluphala, unako ukuthabatha amanyathelo okuphucula ubomi bakho. Kuyavunywa ukuba, la manyathelo akasayi kukwenza ube mtsha, kodwa asenokukwenza uhlale usempilweni njengoko ukhula. Inqaku elilandelayo lixubusha ngamanye ala manyathelo. Kwanokuba umbandela wokwaluphala awunto iphambili kwizinto ezibalulekileyo kuwe, usenokufuna ukufunda ngako, kuba kungekudala uya kubaluleka.
[Ibhokisi/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 3]
UNYAKA WAZWENIBANZI WABANTU ABAKHULILEYO
Usosiba-jikelele weZizwe Ezimanyeneyo uKofi Annan uthe kutshanje ebudeni bokuqaliswa koNyaka Wazwenibanzi Wabantu Abakhulileyo: “Ekubeni nam ndisandul’ ukuba neminyaka engama-60 ubudala . . . , ngoku ndibalelwa kwinani endilikhankanyileyo ngaphambilana.” Baninzi abantu abakwimeko efanayo nekaMnu. Annan. Abaphengululi bathi ekuqaleni kwale nkulungwane, kumazwe amaninzi umntu om-1 kwaba-5 uya kube eneminyaka engama-60 ubudala nangaphezulu. Bambi kubo baza kufuna ukunyanyekelwa, kodwa bonke baza kufuna iindlela zokuhlala bezimele, belondoloze isidima sabo, kwaye besakwazi ukuzisebenzela. Ukunceda abawisi bomgaqo-siseko bahlangabezane ‘notshintsho olukhulu kumanani abemi’ nokuze liqondwe ngakumbi “ixabiso labantu abalupheleyo,” ngowe-1992 kwiNgqungquthela yeZizwe Ezimanyeneyo kwagqitywa ukuba kumiselwe unyaka we-1999 njengoNyaka Wazwenibanzi Wabantu Abakhulileyo. Umxholo walo nyaka ukhethekileyo uthi, “Kubantu Abakhulileyo Nabaselula.”
[Umfanekiso]
UKofi Annan
[Inkcazelo]
UN photo
UN/DPI photo by Milton Grant
[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4]
KUTHETHA UKUTHINI UKWALUPHALA?
Omnye umphengululi uthi: “Asazi ngokwebhayoloji ukuba kwenzeka ntoni ekwaluphaleni.” Omnye uthi: “Akakho umntu okuqondayo ngokupheleleyo.” Sekunjalo, izazinzulu ngokwaluphala kwabantu neengxaki zako (gerontologists) ziye zazama ukukucacisa. Ukuyibeka nje ngendlela ecacileyo, zithi, ukwaluphala bubude bexesha ubani aye waliphila. Kodwa ukwaluphala akuthethi kuhamba kweminyaka kuphela. Ngokuqhelekileyo ubani akathethi ngomntwana owaluphalayo kuba ukwaluphala kugqalwa njengokuphelelwa ngamandla. Ukwaluphala kwenzeka njengoko iminyaka ihamba kuloo mntu. Abanye abantu bakhangeleka bebancinane kuneminyaka abayiphilileyo. Ngokomzekelo, kuthethwa ngoku xa kuxelelwa umntu othile ukuba akalingani “neminyaka yakhe.” Ukwahlula phakathi kweminyaka ubani ayiphilileyo nokwaluphala, ngokuqhelekileyo abaphengululi bachaza ukwaluphala (ukwaluphala okuhambisana neenguqulelo ezibuhlungu emzimbeni) njengokukhokhoba.
Unjingalwazi wenzululwazi ngezilwanyana uSteven N. Austad uchaza ukukhokhoba “njengokuba buthathaka phantse kwawo onke amalungu omzimba njengokuba ixesha lihamba.” Yaye uGqr. Richard L. Sprott, weNational Institute on Aging, uthi ukwaluphala “kukuba buthathaka ngokuthe ngcembe kwamalungu ethu asinceda ukuba sikwazi ukujamelana noxinezeleko.” Noko ke, inkoliso yeengcali iyavuma ukuba kusenzima ukuza nengcaciso ecacileyo yokwaluphala. Isazi sebhayoloji yeemolekyuli uGqr. John Medina ucacisa isizathu soku esithi: “Ukususela entloko ukusa eluzwaneni, ukususela kwiprotini ukusa kwiDNA, ukususela ekuzalweni ukusa ekufeni, kwenzeka izinto ezininzi ezibangela ukwaluphala komntu oneeseli ezizizigidi zezigidi ezingama-60.” Akumangalisi ke ngoko ukuba abaphengululi abaninzi baqukumbela ngelithi ukwaluphala “yeyona intsokothileyo kuzo zonke iingxaki zebhayoloji”!