Kungani Kunenkinga Yokuntula Ithemba?
‘UKHONA yini umuntu ongamethemba namuhla?’ Kungenzeka wake wezwa umuntu okhungathekile ebuza lo mbuzo. Noma kungenzeka ukuthi wena ngokwakho uye wabuza lo mbuzo lapho uphazamisekile ngokomzwelo ngenxa yezenzakalo ezithile ekuphileni kwakho.
Akunakuphikwa ukuthi emhlabeni wonke kunokuntuleka kokwethembela ezinhlanganweni noma kubantu. Ngokuvamile, kunesizathu esizwakalayo salokhu kuntuleka kwethemba. Ingabe ukhona olindele ngempela ukuba iningi lezazi zezombangazwe lifeze izithembiso zalo elizenza ngaphambi kokhetho? Ukuhlola kwango-1990 okwenziwa kubafundi abayinkulungwane baseJalimane kwabonisa ukuthi nakuba abangamaphesenti angu-16,5 babo benethemba lokuthi izazi zezombangazwe zingazixazulula izinkinga zezwe, abaphindwe kabili kulabo bazwakalisa ukungabaza okukhulu. Futhi iningi lathi lalingethembi ukuthi izazi zezombangazwe zingakwazi futhi zizimisele ukuxazulula izinkinga.
Iphephandaba i-Stuttgarter Nachrichten lakhononda: “Izazi zezombangazwe eziningi kakhulu zicabanga ngezithakazelo zazo kuqala bese, uma kwenzeka-ke, kube sekuba ezalabo abazivotela.” Nakwamanye amazwe, abantu bavumelana nalokho. Iphephandaba i-European lathi ngelinye izwe: “Ukugxeka kwentsha izazi zezombangazwe kunengqondo futhi nabantu abadala bayakusekela.” Laphawula ukuthi ‘labo ababa nengxenye okhethweni bazikhipha njalo izinhlangano zezombangazwe ezikhundleni zazo.’ Leli phephandaba laqhubeka lathi: “Noma ubani ochitha isikhathi enentsha [lapho], usheshe aphawule ukuntula kwayo ithemba nomuzwa wokungabi nanjongo.” Nokho, ngaphandle kokwethenjwa umphakathi, kuncane uhulumeni wentando yeningi ongakufeza. Lowo owayengumongameli wase-United States uJohn F. Kennedy wake wathi: “Isisekelo sikahulumeni ophumelelayo siwukwethenjwa umphakathi.”
Ngokuphathelene nomkhakha wezezimali, ukwehla ngokungalindelekile kwezomnotho nokonakala kwezinhlelo zokuceba ngokushesha kuye kwabangela abaningi ukuba bangabaze. Lapho izimakethe zomhlaba zehla zenyuka ngokungalawuleki ngo-October 1997, umagazini othile wezindaba wakhuluma ‘ngokuntuleka kwethemba okukhulu futhi ngezinye izikhathi okungenangqondo’ kanye ‘nokusakazeka kokungabi nathemba.’ Futhi wathi “ukuba nethemba kuye kwancipha kakhulu [kwelinye izwe lase-Asia] kangangokuthi kona kanye ukuba khona kombuso . . . kubonakala kusongelwa.” Ngamafuphi, washo iphuzu elisobala lokuthi: “Izimiso zezomnotho zincike ekubeni nethemba.”
Inkolo nayo iyahluleka ukwenza abantu babe nethemba. Iphephabhuku lenkolo laseJalimane i-Christ in der Gegenwart laphawula ngokudabuka: “Izinga abantu abalethemba ngalo iSonto liyaqhubeka lehla.” Phakathi kuka-1986 no-1992, inani labantu baseJalimane abalethemba kakhulu isonto, noma ngokusesilinganisweni nje, lehla lisuka emaphesentini angu-40 laya kwangu-33. Eqinisweni, endaweni eyayiyiMpumalanga Jalimane, lehla laba ngaphansi kwamaphesenti angu-20. Ngokuphambene, abantu abalethemba kancane noma abangalethembi nhlobo isonto banda besuka kwabangamaphesenti angu-56 baya kwangu-66 endaweni eyayiyiNtshonalanga Jalimane futhi baba ngamaphesenti angu-71 endaweni ayayiyiMpumalanga Jalimane.
Ukwehla kokuba nethemba kuye kwaba sobala nakweminye imikhakha ngaphandle kwezombangazwe, ezezimali nenkolo—okuyizinsika ezintathu zomphakathi wesintu. Esinye isibonelo ukuqikelela ukuba umthetho uyagcinwa. Izintuba emithethweni ephathelene nobugebengu, ukuhluleka ukusebenzisa umthetho ngendlela enobulungisa kanye nezinqumo zenkantolo ezingabazisayo kuye kwalizamazamisa kakhulu ithemba abantu ababenalo. Ngokukamagazini i-Time, “ukukhungatheka kwezakhamuzi namaphoyisa kuye kwafinyelela izinga lapho singasathenjwa khona isimiso esibuyisela ngokuphindaphindiwe izinswelaboya eziyingozi emgwaqweni.” Ngenxa yamacala amaphoyisa okonakala nawonya, ngisho nokwethenjwa kwamaphoyisa kuye kwehla kakhulu.
Ngokuphathelene nezombangazwe zomhlaba wonke, ukubhuntsha kwezinkulumo zokuthula nokwephulwa kwezivumelwano zokuhlaba ikhefu ekulweni kunezela ekubeni abantu bantule ithemba. UBill Richardson, inxusa le-United States eZizweni Ezihlangene, ukhomba esithiyweni esiyinhloko ekufinyeleleni ukuthula eMpumalanga Ephakathi, ngokumane athi: “Kunokuntuleka kwethemba.”
Ngesikhathi esifanayo uma sibheka abantu ngokwabo, abaningi abethembi ngisho nezihlobo nabangane abaseduze, bona kanye labo abantu ngokuvamile abaphendukela kubo, ababaqondayo futhi babaduduze lapho benezinkinga. Lesi simo sifana kakhulu naleso esachazwa umprofethi ongumHeberu uMika: “Ningamethembi umngane, ningakholwa ngumhlobo; gcina iminyango yomlomo wakho kuye olala ngasesifubeni sakho.”—Mika 7:5.
Isibonakaliso Sezikhathi
Isazi sokusebenza kwengqondo esingumJalimane u-Arthur Fischer muva nje sacashunwa sithi: “Ukuba nethemba lokuthi umphakathi uyothuthuka nokuqiniseka komuntu ngekusasa lakhe kuye kwehla kakhulu kuyo yonke imikhakha. Abantu abasha bayangabaza ukuthi izinhlangano zomphakathi zingabasiza. Abasenalo nhlobo ithemba, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi inhlangano yezombangazwe, eyenkolo, nanoma iyiphi enye.” Yingakho isazi sokuhlalisana kwabantu u-Ulrich Beck sikhuluma “ngesimo sezwe sokungabaza” iziphathimandla, izinhlangano nezazi esezinesikhathi eside zikhona.
Esimweni sezwe esinjalo, abantu bathambekela ekuhoxeni, benqabe wonke amagunya bese bephila ngezindinganiso zabo siqu, benze izinqumo ngaphandle kweseluleko noma isiqondiso sabanye. Abanye basola ngokweqile, futhi kungenzeka baze bangabi nakucabangela, lapho besebenzelana nalabo abanomuzwa wokuthi abasenakubethemba. Lesi simo sengqondo sikhuthaza umoya ongemuhle, ofana nalowo ochazwe eBhayibhelini: “Ezinsukwini zokugcina kuyofika izikhathi ezibucayi okunzima ukubhekana nazo. Ngoba abantu bayoba abazithandayo, abathandi bemali, abazazisayo, abazidlayo, abahlambalazi, abangalaleli abazali, abangabongiyo, abangathembekile, abangenakho ukusondelana ngokomzwelo okungokwemvelo, abangafuni sivumelwano, abanyundeli, abangenakho ukuzithiba, abanolaka, abangenalo uthando ngobuhle, abakhapheli, abanenkani, abakhukhumele ngokuziqhenya, abathandi bezinjabulo kunokuba abathandi bakaNkulunkulu, benesimo sokuzinikela kokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu kodwa bezibonakalisa bengathembekile emandleni ako.” (2 Thimothewu 3:1-5; IzAga 18:1) Ngokuqinisekile, inkinga yanamuhla yokuntula ithemba iyisibonakaliso sezikhathi, isibonakaliso ‘sezinsuku zokugcina.’
Ukuphila ngeke ngempela kujatshulelwe ngokugcwele ezweni elinenkinga yokuntula ithemba neligcwele abantu abafana nalabo abachazwe ngenhla. Kodwa ingabe kunengqondo ukucabanga ukuthi izinto zizoshintsha? Ingabe inganqotshwa inkinga yanamuhla yokuntula ithemba? Uma kunjalo, izonqotshwa kanjani futhi nini?