Indima Efezwa Ezemidlalo
UMDALI Omuhle eBhayibhelini uchazwa ‘njengoNkulunkulu ojabulayo,’ futhi ufuna ukuba izidalwa zakhe zijabule. (1 Thimothewu 1:11, NW) Ngakho akufanele kube okumangazayo ukuthi wadala abantu nekhono lokujabulela ukudlala. Ngakho iNew Encyclopædia Britannica iyabika: “Umlando wezemidlalo uyingxenye yomlando womuntu.”
Ukuvela kwebhola kuthiwa kuye kwaba isici esiphawuleka kunazo zonke emlandweni wemidlalo. “Ukuphawula kokuthi izilwane zijabulela ukutshekula ngezinto zokudlala,” kusho iencyclopedia ecashunwe ngenhla, “kusikisela ukuthi kungenzeka akukaze kube nesikhathi . . . lapho okuthile okusesimweni sebhola kungazange kujahwe noma kuphonswe.”
Ngokuthakazelisayo, sekuyisikhathi eside kusetshenziswa ithuluzi elithile lokushaya ibhola. “Ngokuqinisekile yayikhona imidlalo edlalwa ngezinduku eyayidlalwa ngamaPheresiya, amaGreki, namaNdiya aseMelika,” kuphawula iBritannica. “Ipolo, okuyigama elaqanjwa eTibet, ngokusobala yayaziwa kakhulu ngesimo esithile kumaPheresiya ngesikhathi sikaDariyu I (owabusa ngo-522-486 BC). Igalofu, nakuba iScotland ithi yalisungula esimweni eliyiso namuhla, lalinomfuziselo ezikhathini zamaRoma nasemazweni amaningi aseYurophu.”
Ukugcizelelwa Kwemidlalo Kwakuqala
Emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka ngaphambi kokuba ukulotshwa kwemiBhalo YesiHeberu (“iTestamente Elidala”) kuphele, ezemidlalo ezazihleliwe zazithandwa. Ngokwesibonelo, kwakudlalwa njalo ngemva kweminyaka emine eOlympia yasendulo, eGreece. IBritannica iyabika: “Kunemibhalo egciniwe yompetha eOlympia kusukela ngo-776 BC kuya ku-AD 217,” noma cishe yeminyaka eyinkulungwane! ImiDlalo YeOlympic yayibaluleke kakhulu ekuphileni kwamaGreki kangangokuthi isikhathi sasibalwa ngayo, isigamu ngasinye sesikhathi esiyiminyaka emine esasiphakathi kwalemidlalo sibizwa ngokuthi iOlympiad. Kanjalo, ngokwaleyondlela yangaphambili yokubala isikhathi, uJesu Kristu wazalwa phakathi neOlympiad ye-194.
ImiBhalo YesiHeberu ayisho lutho ngemidlalo eyayihleliwe, nakuba omunye wabaprofethi ekhuluma ‘ngokugcwala kwabafana namantombazane ezitaladini [zaseJerusalema] bedlala.’ (Zakariya 8:5) Eminyakeni engaphezu kweyikhulu ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaJesu, imiqhudelwano yemidlalo yamaGreki yalethwa kwaIsrayeli. Kwakhiwa indawo yezemidlalo eJerusalema, futhi ngisho nabapristi abathile badebeselela imisebenzi yabo ukuze bahlanganyele emidlalweni.—2 Maccabees 4:12-15.
UAwugustu Kesari, owayengumbusi waseRoma lapho uJesu ezalwa, wayezithanda ezemidlalo, futhi imidlalo yaba ethandwayo eRoma. Nokho, izenzakalo ezazizithakazelisa ngempela izakhamuzi zaseRoma kwakuyilezo ezazihilela ukulwa, njengesibhakela newrestling. Ngokuvamile “lemidlalo” yayishuba ibe izimpi ezinobudlova, ezichitha igazi abantu ababeqhathwa kuzo nabanye noma nezilwane ezimpini zokulwa kuze kube sekufeni.
Ezemidlalo “ETestamenteni Elisha”
Nokho, ukusetshenziswa kabi okunjalo okuhlasimulisayo kwezemidlalo kwakungasho ukuthi ukuyidlala kwakungalungile. Akukho emiBhalweni lapho sifunda khona ngoJesu noma abalandeli bakhe belahla imidlalo noma ukudlalwa kwayo. Kunalokho, ngokuvamile abaphostoli babesebenzisa izici zayo ukuze bafanekise amaphuzu okufundisa.
Ngokwesibonelo, umphostoli uPawulu ngokusobala wayecabanga ngemincintiswano yokugijima eyayenziwa emiDlalweni YeOlympic lapho ekhuthaza: “Anazi yini ukuthi abagijima ngokuncintisana bagijima bonke, kepha munye owamukela umklomelo. Gijimani kanjalo, ukuze niwuthole.” Wanezela: “Bonke abancintisanayo bayazithiba ezintweni zonke; labo benza ukuze bathole umqhele ophelayo, kepha thina ukuze sithole ongapheliyo.”—1 Korinte 9:24, 25.
Ngesinye isikhathi, uPawulu wathi umKristu kumelwe agijime ngokuzimisela ukuze azuze umklomelo wokuphila. “Ngijonge emgomeni, emklomelweni wokubizwa okukhulu kwaphezulu nguNkulunkulu,” ebhala. (Philipi 3:14) Ngaphezu kwalokho, lapho efanekisa isidingo sokunamathela emithethweni yokuphila kokuziphatha okuhle, uPawulu wakhumbuza uThimothewu: “Nxa umuntu encintisana, kaqheliswa engancintisananga ngokomthetho.” (2 Thimothewu 2:5, NW) Futhi umphostoli uPetru wabhala ukuthi abelusi abangamaKristu abafeza imithwalo yabo yemfanelo ‘bayozuza umqhele wenkazimulo ongabuniyo.’—1 Petru 5:4.
Akungabazeki ukuthi uThimothewu osemusha wayeyobe ehileleke ekwaluseni amaKristu asemasha ayejabulela ezemidlalo. Ngakho-ke, uPawulu wambhalela ukuthi “ukujwayeza umzimba [njengomdlali] kusiza ingcosana,” ngaleyondlela evuma ukuthi ukuzivivinya kwabadlali okwakwenziwa ngokuzikhandla amaGreki kwakunenzuzo ethile. “Kepha,” kunezela uPawulu ngokushesha, “ukumesaba uNkulunkulu kusiza ezintweni zonke, kunesithembiso salokhukuphila nalokho okuzayo.”—1 Thimothewu 4:8; bheka iKingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures.
Indawo Efanele Yokuzivivinya Umzimba
Ngakho imiBhalo ibonisa ukuthi ukuzivivinya umzimba kungaba nendawo efanele ekuphileni. Kodwa, kunesidingo sokulinganisela, ukucabangela. “Ukucabangela kwenu makwaziwe ngabantu bonke,” kubhala uPawulu. (Filipi 4:5) Nokho, yeka ukuthi kunzima kanjani ukuthola lokhu kulinganisela!
AmaGreki angaphambili ayeyigcizelela ngokweqile imidlalo, futhi amaRoma ayedlala izinhlobo ezazilimaza abahlanganyeli kanye nalabo ababethokozela imibukwane egcwele igazi. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, abanye egameni lenkolo baye benqabela futhi bayivimbela ngisho nokuyivimbela imidlalo. INew Encyclopædia Britannica yaphawula: “Izimo zengqondo zenkolo ekhulwini le-17 leminyaka zanciphisa isilinganiso sokujabulisa kwayo eYurophu naseMelika.”
Muva nje ezemidlalo ziye zabhekana nokuvuseleleka mhlawumbe okungakaze kube khona okulingana nakho emlandweni. “Ngaphandle kwesimo sezulu,” kusho iWorld Book Encyclopedia, “abantu cishe bakhuluma kakhulu ngezemidlalo kunanoma iyiphi enye indaba.” Ezemidlalo ziye zabizwa ngisho nangokuthi “isidakamizwa soquqaba lwabantu.”
Iziphi ezinye zezinkinga eziye zadalwa intshiseko enjalo ngezemidlalo? Ikhona yini imiphumela emibi wena noma umkhaya wakho eniyitholayo ngenxa yayo? Ungazigcina kanjani ezemidlalo zisendaweni yazo efanele?