Yini Esingayifunda Esikhathini Esidlule?

“Ayikho into ebaluleke njengokuningiliza izimbangela nomphumela wezinto kuzazi-mlando.”—Ugerald Schlabach, Isekela Likaprofesa Wezomlando.

IZAZI-MLANDO zivame ukubuza, Zenzeka kanjani futhi ngani izenzakalo ezithile? Ngokwesibonelo, umlando usitshela ukuthi uMbuso WaseRoma wawa. Kodwa wawiswa yini? Ingabe kwakungenxa yokonakala noma ukufuna injabulo? Ingabe umbuso wawungasalawuleki futhi sekubiza kakhulu ukunakekela amasosha? Ingabe izitha zeRoma zase ziziningi kakhulu futhi zinamandla?

Muva nje, ubuKhomanisi eMpumalanga Yurophu, obabubhekwa njengosongo emazweni aseNtshonalanga, baphela ngokushesha emazweni amaningi. Kodwa kungani? Futhi yiziphi izifundo esingazifunda kulokho? Lena yimibuzo izazi-mlando ezizama ukuyiphendula. Kodwa lapho ziyiphendula, imibono yazo siqu izithinta kangakanani izinqumo zazo?

Ingabe Umlando Ungathenjwa?

Izazi-mlando zifana nabaseshi hhayi ososayensi. Ziyaphenya, zibuze futhi ziphikise imibhalo emidala. Inhloso yazo ukuthola iqiniso kodwa umgomo wazo uvame ukungacaci. Esinye sezizathu ukuthi umsebenzi wazo uphathelene nabantu kakhulu, futhi izazi-mlando azikwazi ukufunda izingqondo zabantu—ikakhulukazi asebashona. Izazi-mlando nazo zingase zibe nemibono ethile ecatshangwé ngaphambili. Ngakho-ke, ngezinye izikhathi umsebenzi omuhle empeleni umane uyincazelo—ngokwendlela umlobi abona ngayo.

Yiqiniso, ukuthi isazi-mlando sinombono waso akusho ukuthi umsebenzi waso awunembile. Ukulandisa kweBhayibheli kukaSamuweli, amaKhosi neziKronike kuhlanganisa nokulandisa okufanayo okwabhalwa ngabantu abahlukene abahlanu, kodwa akukho ukuphikisana okuphawulekayo noma ukunganembi. Kunjalo nangamaVangeli amane. Abalobi beBhayibheli abaningi baze babhala ngisho nangamaphutha nokushiyeka kwabo okuwubuwula—into ongeke uyibone emibhalweni yanamuhla.—Numeri 20:9-12; Duteronomi 32:48-52.

Ngaphandle kwemibono ecatshangwé ngaphambili engase ibe khona, esinye isici esibalulekile okufanele sicatshangelwe lapho ufunda umlando yisisusa somlobi. “Noma imuphi umlando olandiswa iziphathi-mandla, noma abantu abafuna amandla noma abangane babo, kumelwe ubhekwe ngeso elibukhali,” kusho uMichael Stanford kwethi A Companion to the Study of History. Izisusa ezingabazekayo nazo ziyabonakala lapho izincwadi zomlando zibonisa ukunxenxa ngokucashile noma ngokusobala kobuzwe nokuzinikela ngenxa yezwe. Ngokudabukisayo, ngezinye izikhathi lokhu kutholakala ezincwadini zezikole. Umthetho kahulumeni kwelinye izwe washo ngokuqondile ukuthi injongo yokufundisa ezomlando “iwukuqinisa ukushisekela ubuzwe nokuzinikela ngenxa yezwe ezinhliziyweni zabantu . . . ngoba ulwazi ngomlando wezwe lungesinye sezisusa ezibalulekile ekugqugquzeleni ukuthanda izwe lakini.”

Umlando Oshintshiwe

Ngezinye izikhathi umlando awucwasi imibono nje kuphela kodwa uyashintshwa. Ngokwesibonelo, iSoviet Union yakuqala “yasusa igama likaTrotsky emibhalweni, ukuze linyamalale iqiniso lokuthi lo mholi wake waba khona,” kusho incwadi ethi Truth in History. Wayengubani uTrotsky? Wayengumholi wokuVukela KwamaBolshevik eRussia futhi wayelandela uLenin ngesikhundla. Ngemva kokufa kukaLenin, uTrotsky waxabana noStalin, waxoshwa eQenjini LamaKhomanisi, kamuva wabulawa. Igama lakhe lakhishwa ngisho nasezincwadini zaseSoviet. Ukuhlanekezelwa okunjalo komlando, kuze kube seqophelweni lokushisa izincwadi ezinombono ohlukile, kuye kwaba umkhuba ovamile wababusi abaningi abangomashiqela.

Kodwa ukushintsha umlando kuwumkhuba omdala, ohlehlela emuva okungenani eGibithe nase-Asiriya. Ngenxa yokuzigqaja nokuqhosha, ofaro, amakhosi nababusi baqinisekisa ukuthi umlando wabo uyababazeka. Ngakho lokho ababekufezile kwakwenziwa ihaba, kuyilapho noma yini eyihlazo noma edumazayo, njengokuhlulwa empini, yayigubuzelwa, isuswe noma ngezinye izikhathi ingabikwa nokubikwa. Ngokuphambene, umlando wakwa-Israyeli obikwe eBhayibhelini uhlanganisa kokubili ukwehluleka nobuqhawe bamakhosi nalabo ababengaphansi kwawo.

Izazi-mlando zikuhlola kanjani ukunemba kwemibhalo yakudala? Ziyiqhathanisa nezinto ezinjengamabhuku entela amadala, imithetho, izikhangiso zokudayiswa kwezigqila, izincwadi nemibhalo yamabhizinisi neyabantu, imibhalo eqoshwe ezingcezwini zobumba, imibhalo yohambo lwemikhumbi nezinto ezatholakala emathuneni. Le nhlanganisela ngokuvamile inikeza ukwaziswa okwengeziwe noma okuhlukile ngemibhalo egunyaziwe. Lapho kukhona khona izikhala noma ukungaqiniseki, izazi-mlando eziqotho ziyasho, ngisho noma zibhala imibono yazo ukuze zigcwalise lezo zikhala. Kunoma ikuphi, abafundi abahlakaniphile bafunda izincwadi ezingaphezu kweyodwa uma befuna incazelo enokulinganisela.

Naphezu kwazo zonke izinselele isazi-mlando esibhekana nazo, umsebenzi waso ungaletha ukwaziswa okuwusizo. Enye incwadi yomlando iyachaza: “Nakuba kunzima ukuwubhala, . . . umlando womhlaba ubalulekile, futhi siyawudinga.” Ngaphandle kokusichathazela ngalokho okwenzeke esikhathini esidlule, umlando ungathuthukisa ukuqonda kwethu isimo sabantu samanje. Ngokwesibonelo, sisheshe sithole ukuthi abantu basendulo babenezici zobuntu ezifanayo nezabantu banamuhla. Lezi zici ezilokhu zivela ziye zaba nethonya elikhulu emlandweni, mhlawumbe okuye kwaholela ekubeni kuthiwe umlando uyaziphinda. Kodwa ingabe leso isiphetho esinengqondo?

Ingabe Umlando Uyaziphinda?

Ingabe singalibikezela ngokunembile ikusasa ngesisekelo salokho okwenzeka esikhathini esidlule? Ezinye izenzakalo ziphinde zenzeke. Ngokwesibonelo, owayenguNgqongqoshe Wezangaphandle e-United States uHenry Kissinger wathi: “Yonke impucuko eyake yaba khona yagcina isiphelile.” Wanezela: “Umlando uwukulandisa kwemizamo engaphumelelanga, amaphupho angafezekanga. . . . Ngakho, njengesazi-mlando, umuntu kufanele akwamukele ukuthi inhlekelele ayinakuvinjelwa.”

Ayikho imibuso emibili eyawa ngendlela efanayo. IBabiloni lawa ngokushesha phambi kwamaMede namaPheresiya, ngo-539 B.C.E. IGreece yahlukana yaba imibuso embalwa ngemva kokufa kuka-Alexander Omkhulu, ekugcineni yadedela iRoma. Kodwa indlela iRoma eyawa ngayo iseyimpikiswano. Isazi-mlando uGerald Schlabach siyabuza: “Yawa nini iRoma? Ingabe yawa ngempela? Kukhona okuthile okwashintsha eNtshonalanga Yurophu phakathi kuka-400 CE no-600 CE. Kodwa kuningi okwaqhubeka.”a Kusobala ukuthi ezinye izici zomlando ziyaphindeka, nakuba ezinye zingaphindeki.

Isifundo esilokhu sivela njalo emlandweni ukuhluleka kokubusa komuntu. Kuwo wonke umlando ohulumeni abahle baye bathiywa ubugovu, ukungacabangeli ikusasa, ukuhaha, ukonakala, ukukhetha kanye nesifiso sokufuna nokulondoloza amandla. Ngenxa yalokho, umlando ugcwele izingxabano zezikhali, izivumelwano ezingagcinwanga, izimpi, iziyaluyalu emphakathini nobudlova, ukwabiwa komnotho ngokungalingani nezomnotho eziwayo.

Ngokwesibonelo, phawula lokho okushiwo incwadi ethi The Columbia History of the World ngethonya lempucuko yaseNtshonalanga emhlabeni wonke: “Ngemva kokuba uColumbus noCortes bebonise abantu baseNtshonalanga Yurophu amathuba ayebavulekele, isifiso sabo sokuguqula abantu, ukuthola inzuzo nodumo saba namandla futhi kwalethwa impucuko yaseNtshonalanga ngenkani cishe embulungeni yonke. Benesifiso esinamandla sokudlondlobala futhi benezikhali ezinamandla, abanqobi benza umhlaba wonke waba yingxenye ephoqelelwe yemibuso emikhulu yaseYurophu . . . Kafushane nje, abantu bala mazwekazi [i-Afrika, i-Asia neMelika], babeyizisulu zokuxhashazwa ngonya okuqhubekayo.” Ave eyiqiniso amazwi atholakala eBhayibhelini kumShumayeli 8:9: ‘Umuntu uye wabusa omunye kwaba ngukulimala kwakhe’!

Mhlawumbe lo mbhalo obangela umunyu yiwo owashukumisela esinye isazi sefilosofi saseJalimane ukuba siphawule ukuthi ukuphela kwento engase ifundwe emlandweni ukuthi abantu abafundi lutho emlandweni. UJeremiya 10:23 uthi: “Inkambo yomuntu ayilawulwa nguye, futhi akukho emandleni omuntu ukuba aqondise izinyathelo zakhe lapho ehamba.” (The Jerusalem Bible) Lokhu kuhluleka ukuqondisa izinyathelo zethu kufanele kusikhathaze kakhulu namuhla. Ngani? Ngoba sikhathazwa yizinkinga ezingakaze zibonwe ngobuningi nangezinga lazo. Pho siyobhekana kanjani nazo?

Izinkinga Ezingakaze Zibe Khona

Kuwo wonke umlando wesintu, akukaze kwenzeke ukuba umhlaba wonke usongelwe inhlanganisela yokuqothulwa kwamahlathi, ukuguguleka kwenhlabathi, izindawo eziphenduka ugwadule, ukuqothulwa kwezitshalo nezilwane ngobuningi, ukuphela kongqimba lwe-ozone emkhathini, ukungcola, ukufudumala kwembulunga yonke, izixhobo zasolwandle ezifayo nenani labantu elanda kakhulu.

“Enye inselele imiphakathi yanamuhla ebhekene nayo ukushintsha kwezinto ngokushesha,” kusho incwadi ethi A Green History of the World. U-Ed Ayres, umhleli kamagazini i-World Watch, uyabhala: “Sibhekene nento ethile sonke esingakaze sihlangabezane nayo kangangokuthi asiyiqondi ngempela, nakuba kunenqwaba yobufakazi. Kithina, leyo ‘nto ethile’ iwukushintsha okukhulu kwemvelo nezinto eziphilayo emhlabeni obulokhu usisekela.”

Ngenxa yalezi zinkinga nezinye ezihlobene nazo, isazi-mlando uPardon E. Tillinghast sithi: “Indlela umphakathi oya ngakuyo isiyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu, futhi kwabaningi bethu indida iyesabisa. Yisiphi isiqondiso izazi-mlando ezingochwepheshe ezingasinikeza abantu abadidekile namuhla? Kubonakala sengathi asikho.”

Izazi-mlando ezingochwepheshe zingase zidideke ngokuthi yini okufanele ziyenze noma ukuthi zinganikeza siphi iseluleko, kodwa ngokuqinisekile akunjalo ngoMdali wethu. Eqinisweni, wabikezela eBhayibhelini ukuthi ezinsukwini zokugcina, umhlaba wawuyobhekana ‘nezikhathi ezibucayi okunzima ukubhekana nazo.’ (2 Thimothewu 3:1-5) Kodwa uNkulunkulu uye wenza okungaphezu kwalokho futhi wenza nokuthile ngisho nezazi-mlando ezingenamandla okukwenza—uye wasibonisa ikhambi njengoba sizobona esihlokweni esilandelayo.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 5]

“Noma imuphi umlando olandiswa iziphathi-mandla . . . kumelwe ubhekwe ngeso elibukhali.”—UMICHAEL STANFORD, ISAZI-MLANDO

[Isithombe ekhasini 4]

UMbusi uNero

[Umthombo]

Roma, Musei Capitolini

[Izithombe ekhasini 7]

Kuwo wonke umlando ‘umuntu uye wabusa omunye kwaba kungulimala kwakhe’

[Imithombo]

“The Conquerors,” by Pierre Fritel. Includes (left to right): Ramses II, Attila, Hannibal, Tamerlane, Julius Caesar (center), Napoléon I, Alexander the Great, Nebuchadnezzar, and Charlemagne. From the book The Library of Historic Characters and Famous Events, Vol. III, 1895; planes: USAF photo