Kunaliphi Ithemba Lokuphila Isikhathi Eside?
“Umuntu, ozelwe owesifazane, unokuphila okufushane kodwa ugcwele usizi.”—Amazwi kaJobe, alotshwe kuJobe 14:1, ngokwe-“Jerusalem Bible.”
YEKA ukuthi ukuphila isikhathi esifushane kuye kwachazwa kaningi kangakanani ngendlela esankondlo! NjengoJobe, umlobi othile wekhulu lokuqala wathi: “Niyinkungu ebonakala isikhathi esincane bese inyamalala.”—Jakobe 4:14.
Ingabe nawe uye waqaphela ukuthi ukuphila kufushane ngendlela edabukisayo? Eminyakeni engaba ngu-400 edlule, uWilliam Shakespeare wabhala: “Lacisha, lacisha, ikhandlela elincane! Ukuphila kuyithunzi elidlulayo nje.” Futhi phakathi nekhulu leminyaka elidlule, induna ethile engumNdiya waseMelika yabuza: “Kuyini ukuphila?” Khona-ke yaphendula: “Kuwukubaneka kukakhanyikhanyi ebusuku.”
Abantu bangalindela ukuba ukuphila kwabo kube kude kangakanani? Umprofethi uMose wachaza isimo osukwini lwakhe, eminyakeni engaba ngu-3 500 edlule: “Izinsuku zeminyaka yethu zineminyaka engamashumi ayisikhombisa; kuthi uma ziziningi, zineminyaka engamashumi ayisishiyagalombili; nokho ukuvama kwazo kungukuhlupheka nelize, ngokuba zidlula masinyane, thina siyandiza, simuke.”—IHubo 90:10.
Iminyaka engu-70—lezo izinsuku nje ezingu-25 567. Futhi iminyaka engu-80 inezinsuku ezingu-29 219 kuphela. Ngempela, zimbalwa kakhulu! Kukhona yini okungenziwa ukuze kwandiswe ukuphila komuntu?
Ingabe Isayensi Yezokwelapha Ingasiza?
Umagazini i-Science waphawula: “Isikhathi okulindeleke ukuba umuntu asiphile lapho ezalwa [e-United States] siye sanda kusukela eminyakeni engu-47 ngo-1900 kuya eminyakeni engaba ngu-75 ngo-1988.” Ngenxa yokunciphisa izinga lokufa kwezinsana ngokunakekelwa kwempilo okungcono nokudla okunomsoco, abantu base-United States sebengalindela ukuphila cishe isikhathi eside njengoba uMose asho. Nakuba kunjalo, ingabe kukhona ukwanda okuphawulekayo okulindelwe ngokuthi abantu abaningi baphila isikhathi eside kangakanani?
Ngokuphawulekayo, uLeonard Hayflick, isikhulu esiphambili kwezokuguga, wathi encwadini yakhe ethi How and Why We Age: “Intuthuko ekucwaningeni kwezokwelapha nokusetshenziswa kokunakekelwa kwempilo okuthuthukisiwe kuleli khulu leminyaka ngokuqinisekile kuye kwaba nethonya ebudeni bokuphila kwabantu, kodwa ngokumane kuvumele abantu bafinyelele isilinganiso esiphakeme esingashintshi sobude besikhathi sokuphila komuntu.” Ngakho wachaza: “Kuye kwanda amathemba okuphila kodwa ubude bokuphila abuzange; umehluko ubucayi.”
Siyini “isilinganiso esiphakeme esingashintshi” sobude besikhathi sokuphila komuntu? Abanye bathi akunasiqinisekiso sokuthi ukhona othile ezikhathini zamuva nje oye waphila wadlula eminyakeni engu-115 ubudala. Nokho, umagazini i-Science wathi: “Kusukela ngo-1990, ubudala obuqinisekisiwe obuye bafinyelelwa umuntu iminyaka engaphezu nje kwengu-120.” Futhi ekuqaleni kwalonyaka ungqongqoshe wezempilo waseFrance, kanye neqembu lezintatheli nabathwebuli bezithombe, bavakashela uJeanne Calment wase-Arles, eFrance, lapho ehlanganisa iminyaka yokuzalwa engu-120. UMose naye waphila iminyaka engu-120, okungaphezulu kakhulu kokuvamile.—Duteronomi 34:7.
Ingabe ososayensi banalo ithemba lokuthi abantu ngokuvamile bangaphila isikhathi eside kangako noma ngaphezulu? Cha, abaningi abanalo. Isihloko esikhulu kuyi-Detroit News sasifundeka kanje: “Abacwaningi Bathi Kungenzeka Iminyaka Engu-85 Iyisilinganiso Esiphakeme Sobude Bokuphila Okuvamile.” Kulesi sihloko isikhulu esaziwayo kwezokuguga, uS. Jay Olshansky, sathi: “Lapho beqa eminyakeni engu-85 ubudala, abantu babulawa ukungasebenzi kwezitho eziningi. Abasakwazi ukuphefumula. Ngokuyisisekelo, babulawa ukuguga. Futhi alikho ikhambi lalokho.” Wanezela: “Ngaphandle kokunqanda ukuguga kwamangqamuzana kumuntu, akukho ukwanda okusheshayo kwesikhathi okulindeleke ukuba umuntu asiphile.”
Umagazini i-Science waphawula ukuthi mhlawumbe “isilinganiso esiphakeme sobude bokuphila sesifinyelelwe kakade nokuthi cishe akunakuba khona ukuncipha okuphawulekayo kokufa.” Kuthiwa uma kungaqedwa zonke izimbangela zokufa ezibikwa ezitifiketini zokufa, amathemba okuphila abeyokwandiswa ngeminyaka engaphansi kwengu-20.
Ngakho, ososayensi abaningi babheka ubude besikhathi sokuphila komuntu njengobungeyona inqaba nobungeke bushintshe. Kodwa kungani kunengqondo ukukholelwa ukuthi ekugcineni abantu bayophila isikhathi eside?