Yini Abantu Abaningi Abayesabayo?
“Akudingeki ukuba ube yikholwa ukuze ubone ukuthi kunenhlekelele ezayo.”—USTEPHEN O’LEARY, OMUNYE WOPROFESA E-UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.a
UYAVUMELANA yini nala mazwi angenhla? Lolu chungechunge lwezihloko luzokhuluma ngezinye zezizathu ezenza abantu besabe ikusasa. Kodwa zizobonisa nokuthi kungani ungaqiniseka ngokuthi umhlaba ongokoqobo ngeke uqedwe. Kunesizathu esizwakalayo sokuba nethemba naphezu kwamaqiniso angemnandi ozofunda ngawo.
Kusenosongo lwempi yenuzi. Ngo-2007, i-Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists yaxwayisa: “Kulo nyaka, umhlaba ubhekene nezinqumo ezinkulu ezihilela ukuphila kwabantu ezifana nalezo owabhekana nazo ngesikhathi kuphonswa amabhomu e-athomu eHiroshima naseNagasaki.” Kungani kunokukhathazeka? Le Bulletin yabika ukuthi ngo-2007 izikhali zenuzi ezingaba ngu-27 000 zazisalokhu zikhona nokuthi ezingu-2 000 “zazingaqhuma noma nini.” Ngisho noma kungaqhunyiswa amabhomu ambalwa, baningi kakhulu abantu abangafa!
Ingabe usongo lwempi yenuzi luye lwadamba kusukela ngaleso sikhathi? INcwadi Yonyaka ye-SIPRI ka-2009, ithi amazwe amahlanu anezikhali zenuzi ezinamandla kakhulu—iChina, iFrance, iRussia, i-United Kingdom ne-United States—“kuphakathi kokuthi alungiselela ukuba izikhali zawo zenuzi ezintsha zigadle noma nini noma asememezele ukwenza kanjalo.”bc Kodwa incwadi yonyaka ithi akhona namanye amazwe anezikhali zenuzi ngaphandle kwalawa ashiwo ngenhla. Abacwaningi balinganisela ukuthi kunamabhomu enuzi aphakathi kuka-60 kuya ku-80 eNdiya, ePakistan nakwa-Israyeli. Bathi emhlabeni wonke amabhomu enuzi angu-8 392 angaqhunyiswa noma nini!
Ukushintsha kwesimo sezulu kungase kulethe inhlekelele. I-Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists okukhulunywe ngayo ngenhla ithi “umonakalo obangelwa ukushintsha kwesimo sezulu mubi ngendlela ethi ayifane nalowo ongabangelwa izikhali zenuzi.” Ososayensi abahlonishwayo, njengoStephen Hawking, owayenguprofesa e-University of Cambridge, noSir Martin Rees, ofundisa eTrinity College yase-University of Cambridge, nabo bayavumelana nalezi zixwayiso. Banomuzwa wokuthi ukusetshenziswa kabi kobuchwepheshe nokuwohloka kwendalo okubangelwa abantu kungase kushintshe ukuphila emhlabeni noma kulimaze abantu ngendlela engasayikuphinde ilungiseke.
Izibikezelo zenhlekelele zikhathaza izigidi. Bhala ngesiNgisi amazwi athi “ukuphela komhlaba” nonyaka ka-“2012” kwenye yezingosi zokucwaninga ezithandwayo ze-Internet, uyothola inqwaba yamakhasi aqagela ukuthi ukuphela kuyofika ngalowo nyaka. Kungani kunjalo? Ikhalenda lasendulo laseMaya, elaziwa ngokuthi “i-Long Count,” liphela ngonyaka ka-2012. Abaningi besaba ukuthi lokhu ngandlela-thile kubikezela ukuphela komhlaba.
Abantu abaningi abasontayo bakholelwa ukuthi iBhayibheli lifundisa ukuthi umhlaba wethu ongokoqobo uyobhujiswa. Bathi wonke amakholwa athembekile ayoyiswa ezulwini, bese bonke abanye besala emhlabeni bahlupheke noma baphonswe esihogweni.
Ingabe iBhayibheli liyasho ukuthi umhlaba uyobhujiswa futhi ucoboshiswe ngokuphelele? Umphostoli uJohane waxwayisa: “Ningakholwa yizo zonke izinkulumo eziphefumulelwe, kodwa zivivinyeni izinkulumo eziphefumulelwe ukuze nibone ukuthi zivela kuNkulunkulu yini.” (1 Johane 4:1) Kunokumane wamukele okushiwo abanye, funda iBhayibheli uzizwele ukuthi lithini ngokuphela komhlaba. Elikushoyo kungase kukumangaze.
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a La mazwi avela esihlokweni esithi, “Izinhlekelele Zishukumisa Abantu Ukuba Babikezele Okubi Okuzayo” esanyatheliswa engosini ye-MSNBC kuyi-Internet ngomhla ka-October 19, 2005.
b Igama elithi SIPRI limelela ukuthi, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
c Umbiko we-Ncwadi Yonyaka ye-SIPRI ka-2009 wabhalwa uShannon N. Kile, ongumcwaningi omkhulu nophethe kuyi-SIPRI Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme [Isimiso Sokulawulwa Nokuncishiswa Kwezikhali]; uVitaly Fedchenko, omunye umcwaningi osebenza kulesi simiso; noHans M. Kristensen, umqondisi wocwaningo lwezindaba zenuzi esikhungweni seFederation of American Scientists.
[Imithombo Yesithombe ekhasini 4]
Mushroom cloud: U.S. National Archives photo; hurricane photos: WHO/League of Red Cross and U.S. National Archives photo