Ingabe Ukuthula Kwezwe Sekusemkhathi-zwe?
KUWO wonke umlando, akukaze kuntuleke amacebo okuthula nezimemezelo zokuthula ezinhlobonhlobo. Ngeshwa, kubonakala sengathi kuye kwaba nezimpi eziningi ngokulinganayo okwenza lamacebo nezimemezelo kube yize. Ngokuqondene nezivumelwano zokuthula kanye nokumenyezelwa kwakho, abantu abaningi baye bafunda ukungabeki amathemba abo ngokweqile kukho.
Nokho, phakathi neminyaka embalwa edlule izingqapheli eziningi kanye nabahlaziyi bezindaba baye baqala ukuba nomuzwa wokuthi kunokuthile okuhlukile okwenzekayo. Baye baveza ukuthi kunethuba lokuthi, naphezu kwezinkinga zezindawo ngazinye, manje kungenzeka ukuthi isigcawu sesihlelelwe ukuthula kwezwe. “Ithemba lekhambi lezingxabano elinokuthula selisekelwe kangcono kunanganoma yimuphi unyaka kusukela ekupheleni kweMpi Yezwe II,” kusho iNhlangano Yokuthula Yezizwe Zonke YaseStockholm. Umcosheli wezindaba ovelele waholelwa izenzakalo ezithuthuka ngokushesha zaseMpumalanga Yurophu ekubeni athi: “Ukuthula Emhlabeni kubonakala kungenzeka manje kunanganoma yisiphi isikhathi kusukela eMpini yeZwe II.” Ngisho nomagazini iBulletin of the Atomic Scientists wabonisa lomuzwa. Ngo-1988 wasusa iwashi lawo elidumile losuku lokwahlulela emizuzwini emithathu ngaphambi kwamabili walibeka emizuzwini eyisithupha ngaphambi kwamabili, futhi ngoApril 1990 walihlehlisa ngisho nangokwengeziwe laya emizuzwini eyishumi ngaphambi kwamabili.
Konke lokhu kwabangela ukuba kube nethemba elikhulu kanye nomuzwa wenhlala-kahle ngaphambi kokuba kugqashuke impi yaseMpumalanga Ephakathi. Kodwa kusukela ngisho nangalesosikhathi, abanye abantu bathi iMpi Yokubhekana Ngeziqu Zamehlo kanye nokuncintisana ngezikhali phakathi kwemibuso emikhulu kuphelile. Abanye babecabangela ukuthi bangenzani ngayo yonke imali ohulumeni abathemba ukuyonga evela ekuncishisweni kokuchithwa kwemali ezikhalini zempi. Ingabe kungenzeka ukuthi isikhathi sokuthula okuhlala njalo sesifikile ngempela? Ingabe izizwe ngempela sezifunda ‘ukukhanda izinkemba zazo zibe ngamakhuba nemikhonto yazo ibe ngocelemba’? (Isaya 2:4) Amaqiniso abonisani?
Izimpi Ezilitshelwe
“Ukuphela kwempi yokubhekana ngeziqu zamehlo kanye nokuphumula okusha phakathi kweMpumalanga neNtshonalanga kuye kwalinga abanye ukuba bakholelwe ukuthi ukuthula kuwumyalo ongenziwa ngosuku,” kuphawula iEconomist yaseLondon. “Akunjalo. Lapho kuqedwa umthombo omkhulu owodwa wokushuba kwesimo, izwe lisala neminye eminingi emincane.” Kuyini lokhu kushuba kwesimo ‘okuncane,’ noma izingxabano?
ILentz Peace Research Laboratory, inhlangano ezimele yokuhlola eseUnited States, ibika ukuthi ngoSeptember 1990, okungenani bekulwiwa izimpi ezingu-15 emhlabeni wonke. Lokhu kwakungahlanganisi ukungena ngendlovu yangena kweIraqi eKuwait, njengoba lombiko wabala kuphela izimpi okwafa kuzo okungenani abantu abayinkulungwane ngonyaka kuze kube yilesosikhathi. Ezinye zalezimpi beziqhubeka iminyaka engu-20 noma ngaphezulu. Sezizonke ziye zabulala abantu abangu-2 900 000, futhi abaningi balaba bangabantu abangahilelekile empini. Lelinani alibahlanganisi labo ababulawa kwezinye zezimpi ezichithe igazi kunazo zonke ezisanda kuphela kulonyaka odlule, njengalezo ebeziseUganda, eAfghanistan, naphakathi kweIran neIraq.
Cishe abantu abayizigidi ezintathu bafa lapho kucatshangwa ukuthi izwe linokuthula! Lokho ngokwakho kuyinhlekelele. Nokho, inhlekelele enkulu nakakhulu iwukuthi eziningi zalezimpi beziqhubeka cishe zingaphawulwa—futhi zingalilelwa—ngumhlaba wonke. Ziyilokho okungase kubizwe ngokuthi izimpi ezilitshelwe, njengoba eziningi zazo—ukuketulwa kwemibuso, izimpi zangaphakathi ezweni, ukuvukela umbuso—zilwiwa kwesinye zezizwe ezisathuthuka. Kubantu abaningi abasezizweni ezicebile nezinezimboni, ukuthi ingxenye yesigidi yabantu yabulawa eSudan, noma ingxenye yesithathu esigidini yabulawa eAngola, akubonakali kuye kwathakazelisa kangako. Eqinisweni, kukhona labo abaphikisa ngokuthi izwe belisenkathini yokuthula engazange ibe khona kusukela ekupheleni kweMpi Yezwe II ngoba akubanga nempi phakathi kwezizwe ezithuthukile futhi, naphezu kokushuba kwesimo okukhulu kanye nokunqwatshelaniswa kwezikhali, imibuso emikhulu ayizange ilwe yodwa.
Ingabe Likhona Ithemba Lokuthula?
Uma ukuthula kusho nje ukungabikho kwempi yenuzi yomhlaba wonke, khona-ke mhlawumbe othile angase aphikise ngokuthi izizwe zomhlaba kakade ziye zaba nempumelelo ethile emizamweni yazo yokuthula. Isimiso sokuBhubhisana Okuqinisekile (Mutual Assured Destruction) siye sayivimbela imibuso emikhulu kuze kube manje. Kodwa ingabe lokho kuwukuthula ngempela? Kungaba yikho kanjani, uma abantu behlala besekwesabeni njalo kokubhujiswa okuphelele nokungenzeka ngokushesha? Singakhuluma kanjani ngokuthula uma, emhlabeni wonke, ukuphila kwabantu abaningi kangaka kubhujiswa, ubungqabavu babo bonakaliswa, futhi ithemba labo lokuba khona okunenjongo nokwanelisiwe liqedwa izimpi, ezinkulu nezincane?
Owazuza umklomelo kaNobel uElie Wiesel wake wabhala: “Kusukela esikhathini esingenakukhunjulwa, abantu baye bakhuluma ngokuthula ngaphandle kokukufinyelela. Ingabe kumane kuwukuthi sintula okuhlangenwe nakho okwanele? Nakuba sikhuluma ngokuthula, silwa izimpi. Ngezinye izikhathi size sizwe izimpi egameni lokuthula. . . . Impi ingase ibe yingxenye yomlando enkulu kakhulu ukuba ingaqedwa—nanini.”
Futhi muva nje impi eseMpumalanga Ephakathi iye yaphinda yabhubhisa imicabango yokuthula. Ingabe isintu besilokhu nje sibheke ukuba ukuthula kuvele emthonjeni okungewona?
[Isithombe ekhasini 3]
“Lesizukulwane sabantu abasemhlabeni singase sizibonele ngawaso ukufika kwenkathi yokuthula engenakuhlehliswa emlandweni wempucuko.”—Umongameli waseSoviet uMikhail Gorbachev, emhlanganweni wezikhulu eWashington, D.C., eU.S.A., ngoMay 1990
[Umthombo]
UPI/Bettmann Newsphotos
[Izithombe ekhasini 4]
“Izwe elisha lenkululeko liphambi kwethu . . . , izwe lapho ukuthula kuhlala kukhona khona, lapho ezohwebo zinonembaza khona nalapho konke okubonakala kungenzeka kwenzeka khona.”—Umongameli waseU.S. uGeorge Bush, emhlanganweni wezikhulu zezomnotho wezwe eHouston, eTexas, eU.S.A., ngoJuly 1990
[Umthombo]
UPI/Bettmann Newsphotos
“Izindonga ezake zavalela abantu kanye nemibono kuyawa. AbaseYurophu bazinqumela bona isiphetho sabo. Bakhetha inkululeko. Bakhetha inkululeko engokwezomnotho. Bakhetha ukuthula.”—Isimemezelo seNATO emhlanganweni wezikhulu eLondon, eNgilandi, ngoJuly 1990
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 2]
Cover photos: U.S. Naval Observatory photo (stars); NASA photo (earth)