Kungani Sikwesaba Ukufa?
“Ukufa kuyinto embi kunazo zonke; ngoba kuwukuphela.”—U-Aristotle.
ONTANGA yakhe babembheka njengowesifazane ozinikele, ikholwa langempela. Abanye babeze bambize ngokuthi “insika yesonto.” Wayefundiswe ukuthi ukufa akukona ngempela ukuphela, kodwa, kuyindlela edlulela ekuphileni kwangemva kokufa. Kodwa, lapho esebona ukuthi ukufa kwakhe sekusondele, wafikelwa ukwesaba okukhulu. Ehlushwa ukungabaza, lona wesifazane wabuza umkhokheli wakhe, “[Kunezinkolelo] eziningi mayelana nalokho okwenzekayo ekufeni; wazi kanjani ukuthi iyiphi eyiqiniso?”
Cishe zonke izinkolo nomphakathi sebeyawamukela lo mqondo wokuthi abantu bayaqhubeka bephila, noma bayophinde baphile, ngemva kokufa. Kulezi zinkolelo eziningi, iyiphi eyiqiniso? Abantu abaningi bakungabaza ngokuphelele ukuthi kunokuphila ngemva kokufa. Kuthiwani ngawe? Ingabe ufundiswe ukuthi umuntu uyaqhubeka ephila ngemva kokufa? Ingabe ukholelwa ukuthi kunjalo? Ingabe uyakwesaba ukufa?
Ukwesaba Ukuba Yize
Abacwaningi babiza ukwesaba ukufa ngokuthi “ukuba nexhala ngokufa.” Emashumini eminyaka amuva nje kuye kwabhalwa izincwadi eziningi nemibiko yesayensi ngale ndaba. Noma kunjalo, abantu abaningi bakhetha ukungacabangi ngokufa. Kodwa, ukuba khona kokufa kuyasiphoqa ukuba sigcine sesicabanga ngakho. Ukuphila komuntu kuntekenteke—kufa abantu ababalelwa kwabangu-160 000 usuku ngalunye! Wonke umuntu, ngokungakhethi, uyisisulu sokufa, futhi leli qiniso liyabethusa abaningi.
Ochwepheshe baye bahlukanisa ukuba nexhala ngokufa ngezigaba ezihlukahlukene. Zihlanganisa ukwesaba ubuhlungu, ukwesaba okungaziwa, ukwesaba ukushonelwa abathandekayo, nokwesaba imiphumela engemihle ukufa kothile okungaba nayo kwabasele.
Okuvame kakhulu kulezi zinto ezibangela ixhala ukwesaba ukungabe usaba khona. Naphezu kwezinkolelo ezingokwenkolo, umqondo wokuthi ukufa kuwukuphela kwakho konke ukuphila uyabethusa ngempela abantu abaningi. Kanti nesayensi iyanezela kulokhu kwesaba. Phela, isayensi isiyakwazi ukuchaza izindlela eziningi zokusebenza komzimba womuntu. Ngokuqinisekile, asikho isazi sezempilo, sezemvelo, noma sokuthakwa kwemithi esake sathola ubufakazi bokuthi kithi kunento ethile engabonakali esindayo ekufeni komzimba wenyama. Ngakho-ke, ososayensi abaningi bachaza ukufa komuntu ngokuthi kuyinqubo nje yokuphila.
Akumangazi-ke ukuthi abantu abaningi ababonakala bekholelwa ngempela ekuphileni kwangemva kokufa bangase babe novalo lokuba yize lapho befa. Ngokuthakazelisayo, ezincwadini zayo inkosi yasendulo uSolomoni yathi ukufa kwabantu kuwukuphela abanye abangase bakucabangele njengokwethusayo.
“Uthuli”—Ingabe Luyindawo Yokugcina?
Encwadini yomShumayeli, eneminyaka engu-3 000 ubudala, uSolomoni wabhala: “Abaphilayo bayazi ukuthi bayakufa, kepha abafileyo abazi lutho, futhi abasenawo umvuzo, ngokuba ukukhunjulwa kwabo sekukhohlakele. Uthando lwabo, nokuzonda kwabo, nomhawu wabo sekuphelile.” Wanezela: “Konke isandla sakho esikufumanayo ukukwenza, kwenze ngamandla akho, ngokuba akukho msebenzi, namcabango, nakwazi, nakuhlakanipha endaweni yabafileyo, lapho uya khona.”—UmShumayeli 9:5, 6, 10, IBhayibheli lesiZulu elivamile.
USolomoni waphefumulelwa ukuba athi “okwehlela amadodana abantu kwehlela nezilwane, into inye ikwehlela kokubili: njengalokhu kufa lokho, kuyafa nalokhu . . . Umuntu akazidluli ngalutho izilwane . . . Konke kuya endaweni inye; konke kuvela othulini, konke kubuyela othulini.”—UmShumayeli 3:19, 20, IBhayibheli lesiZulu elivamile.
Nakuba abhalwa iNkosi uSolomoni, amazwi angenhla aphefumulelwa uNkulunkulu futhi ayingxenye yeZwi lakhe elilotshiwe, iBhayibheli. Le mibhalo kanye neminye eminingi eseBhayibhelini, ayiyisekeli inkolelo ethandwayo yokuthi kunokuthile okungaphakathi kithi okusindayo ekufeni futhi kuqhubeke kukwesinye isimo. (Genesise 2:7; 3:19; Hezekeli 18:4) Ingabe uNkulunkulu usitshela ukuthi “uthuli,” noma ukuba yize, kuwukuphela kwabo bonke abantu? Lutho neze!
IBhayibheli alifundisi ukuthi kunengxenye ethile yomuntu esindayo ekufeni. Noma kunjalo, linikeza ithemba elicacile ngalabo abafayo. Isihloko esilandelayo sizobonisa ukuthi kungani kungafanele wesabe ukuthi ukufa kuwukuphela okuqinisekile kokuphila komuntu.
[Ibhokisi ekhasini 3]
ISITHA ONGENAKUPHUNYUKA KUSO
Ukufa kubizwa ngokuthi isitha somuntu. Kuyisitha ngempela, futhi kunobufakazi obuningi balokho. Ngokokulinganisela okuthile, kufa abantu abangaba yizigidi ezingu-59 minyaka yonke—okuyisilinganiso sababili ngomzuzwana. Ukufa kubaqeda ngaziphi izindlela abantu?
◼ Kufa umuntu oyedwa njalo ngemizuzwana engu-102 empini.
◼ Kubulawa umuntu oyedwa njalo ngemizuzwana engu-61.
◼ Umuntu oyedwa uyazibulala njalo ngemizuzwana engu-39.
◼ Kufa umuntu oyedwa engozini yomgwaqo njalo ngemizuzwana engu-26.
◼ Kufa umuntu oyedwa njalo ngemizuzwana emithathu ngenxa yezimbangela ezihlobene nendlala.
◼ Kufa ingane eyodwa eneminyaka engaphansi kwemihlanu njalo ngemizuzwana emithathu.
[Ibhokisi ekhasini 4]
UKUPHISHEKELA IZE
Ngo-November 9, 1949, uJames Kidd, umumbi wethusi oneminyaka engu-70, wanyamalala ezintabeni zase-Arizona, e-U.S.A. Eminyakeni ethile kamuva, ngemva kokuba sekuthiwe ufile, kwatholakala incwadi yakhe yefa eyayibhalwe ngepensela, kanye namaphepha emali ayeyitshalile eyizinkulungwane zama-dollar. Kule ncwadi yefa uKidd wayala ukuba imali yakhe isetshenziselwe ucwaningo ukuze kutholwe “ubufakazi obungokwesayensi bokuthi umphefumulo womzimba womuntu uyaphuma yini ekufeni.”
Ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho, abacwaningi nososayensi abangaphezu kwekhulu abaziwayo bafaka izicelo zokuthola le mali. Kwaphela izinyanga kulalelwa izicelo nezinkulungwane zemibiko esikisela ukuthi kunomphefumulo ongabonakali. Ekugcineni, ijaji lathatha le mali layinika izinkampani ezimbili zocwaningo ezinedumela elihle. Ngemva kweminyaka engaphezu kwamashumi amahlanu, labo bacwaningi abakabuvezi “ubufakazi obungokwesayensi bokuthi umphefumulo womzimba womuntu uyaphuma yini ekufeni.”