Bungaphezu Kwesitha Esinonya
UBUHLUNGU obubeleselayo bungonakalisa ukuphila kwabantu. Bususa ukuthula kwabo, injabulo, nendlela abaziphilisa ngayo, benze ukuphila kube lusizi kangangokuba abanye bafuna ubungcono ngokuzibulala. Umcwaningi kwezokwelapha u-Albert Schweitzer waphetha: “Ubuhlungu buyinkosi yesintu embi ukudlula ukufa ngokwakho.”
Amakhulu ezigidi abhekene nobuhlungu obunzima. ‘Uma besingama ezinzulwini zomkhathi phezu komgodi wakwalasha esingezwa kuwo imisindo evela kulomhlaba ozungezayo,’ kusho udokotela waseFrance, ‘besizozwa ukububula okungathi izwi elilodwa lesintu esisezinhlungwini.’
Ngempela, lokho okwalotshwa umphostoli ongumKristu uPawulu eminyakeni engaphezu kuka-1 900 edlule kunamandla nakakhulu namuhla: “Konke okudaliweyo kuyabubula kanyekanye kunezinseka kuze kube-manje.”—Roma 8:22.
Inkinga Enkulu Yempilo
Umuntu oyedwa waseMelika kwabangu-8 uzwa ubuhlungu obusabekayo be-osteoarthritis, ewuhlobo oluvame kakhulu lwesifo sokuqaqamba kwamathambo. Abanye abantu abengeziwe baphathwa iqolo elinkenkethayo. Abanye kumelwe babekezelele imiphumela ebuhlungu yomdlavuza nesifo senhliziyo.
Ezinye izigidi ezengeziwe ziphathwa amakhanda ankenkethayo, amazinyo, izindlebe, ama-hemorrhoid, nezinye izifo nokulimala okungenakubalwa. Akumangalisi ukuthi komunye unyaka wamuva, abantu baseMelika bachitha amaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-7,2 eziqedanhlungwini ezingagunyaziwe udokotela, noma ukuthi ubuhlungu bubizwa ngokuthi “umqedazwe ofihlekile waseMelika.”
UJohn J. Bonica, mhlawumbe onguchwepheshe ophambili wezinhlungu, wathi: “Uma bubhekwa ngombono wama-dollar namasenti, nangombono wosizi lwesintu, ubuhlungu obungapheli bubaluleke ukudlula cishe zonke izinkinga zokunakekelwa kwempilo zihlangene.”
Ukuphila Okungenazinhlungu?
Uma isimo sibhekwa njengoba sinjalo ngempela, kungase kubonakale sengathi kuwubuwula ukukusikisela ngisho nokukusikisela ukuphila okungenabuhlungu. Ngakho-ke, lokho okushiwo iBhayibheli kungase kubonakale kungakholeki, okuwukuthi: “[UNkulunkulu] azesule izinyembezi zonke emehlweni abo: . . . nokudabuka‚ nokukhala‚ nobuhlungu akusayikuba-khona.”—IsAmbulo 21:4.
Nokho, ukuba khona kokuphila okungenabuhlungu akuyona imbude. Kodwa ake uthi ukucabanga. Usho ukuthini ngempela lombhalo? Bakhona abantu abangabuzwa ubuhlungu namuhla. Bazalwa benjalo. Ingabe kufanele sihahele ukufana nabo? Isazi sezici zomzimba u-Allan Basbaum sathi: “Ukungabuzwa nhlobo ubuhlungu kuyinhlekelele.”
Uma ubungezwa buhlungu, ubungeke uqaphele ukuthi umilwe ishashazi kuze kube yilapho seliyisilonda esibi. Ngokusho komunye umbiko wezindaba, abazali benye intombazanyana eyayingabuzwa ubuhlungu “ngezinye izikhathi babezwa iphunga lenyama eshayo bese beyithola izincikele esitofini.” Ngakho, ubuhlungu bungaphezu kokuba isitha esinonya. Bungaba nayisibusiso.
Kuthiwani-ke ngesithembiso seBhayibheli esithi: ‘Nobuhlungu abusayikuba-khona’? Ingabe lesi isithembiso okufanele sifune sigcwaliseke ngempela?
Ukuphila Okungenazinyembezi?
Phawula ukuthi umongo walelivesi uphinde uthi: “[UNkulunkulu] azesule izinyembezi emehlweni abo.” (IsAmbulo 21:4) Lokhu kungokuphawulekayo, ngoba izinyembezi zibalulekile. Ziyasivikela, njengokuzwa ubuhlungu.
Izinyembezi zigcina amehlo ethu eswakeme futhi zivikele ukugudlana phakathi kweso nejwabu leso. Ziphinde zihlanze izinto ezingafuneki zizikhiphe emehlweni ethu. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ziqukethe isibulala-magciwane esibizwa ngokuthi i-lysozyme, esigeza amehlo futhi siwavikele ekungenweni amagciwane. Ngakho ukukwazi ukuchiphiza izinyembezi kuyisici esiphawulekayo semizimba yethu eklanywe ngokumangalisayo, njengokuzwa ubuhlungu.—IHubo 139:14.
Nokho, izinyembezi zihlobene eduze futhi nosizi, ukudabuka, nokukhathazeka. “Ngimatisa icansi lami njalo ebusuku,” kulila iNkosi yangezikhathi zeBhayibheli uDavide. “Ngimatisa ukhukho lwami ngezinyembezi zami.” (IHubo 6:6) Ngisho noJesu “wakhala izinyembezi” lapho kufa umngane wakhe. (Johane 11:35) UNkulunkulu ekuqaleni wayengahlosanga ukuba abantu bakhale izinyembezi ezinjalo zosizi. Isono somuntu wokuqala, u-Adamu, yisona esabangela isimo sokungapheleli nokufa somkhaya wesintu. (Roma 5:12) Ngakho, yizinyembezi ezibangelwa isimo sethu sokungapheleli nokufa ezingeke zisaba khona.
Njengoba iBhayibheli libhekisela ohlotsheni oluthile lwezinyembezi oluyoqedwa, isithembiso sokuthi ubuhlungu ngeke busaba khona siyogcwaliseka kanjani? Ngeke yini abantu, mhlawumbe ngezikhathi ezithile, babuzwe ubuhlungu obubangela usizi nokukhala?