Ukuqondisisa Izindaba
Okuwukuphela Kwekhambi
Lapho ochwepheshe abaningi bomhlaba abacwaninga ngokuguga behlangana ngonyaka odlule eSikhungweni Sezokwelapha Wount Sinai eNew York ukuze baxoxe ngezinqubo ezingokwemvelo zokuguga, iphuzu elilodwa elaba sobala—akekho owayevumelana nomunye ngesizathu sokuba umuntu aguge futhi afe. Abanye ochwepheshe bacabangela ukuthi “ukuguga ‘kuhlelwe’ ngokwezici zofuzo, njengezinye izigaba zokuphila,” kubika iNewsweek on Science & Technology. Nokho, isihloko senezela ukuthi “kunzima ukuqonda ukuthi kungani imvelo ingajikelezisa ingqamuzana lofuzo elibangela ukuguga.” Omunye umbono ocatshangelwe owasungulwa uLeonard Hayflick, oyisazi esicwaninga ngokuguga eYunivesithi yaseFlorida, wawungukuthi “amanye amangqamuzana ofuzo kungenzeka ayajikeleza ukuze agcine abantu benempilo futhi besebenza kuze kube yilapho eveza amanye.” UHayflick uphetha ngokuthi lapho umuntu efi-nyelela cishe ama-30, ukuqhubeka isikhathi eside kwalawomangqamuzana ofuzo kuyoqala ukukhathala. Iqiniso liwukuthi, isilinganiso seminyaka yokuphila ngomuntu waseMelika singaphezu nje kancane kweminyaka engama-74 “ngengane esafaka inabukeni,” futhi “ngisho nokwelapha izifo zokuguga—umdlavuza, isifo samathambo, neseAlzheimer—kuyokwenza okuncane kakhulu ekunwebeni isikhathi esilinganiselwe sokuphila,” kuphawula isihloko.
Nakuba izazi zesayensi zithola ukuthi ikhambi lokuguga alifinyeleleki njengezimbangela zakho, abafundi abacophelelayo beZwi likaNkulunkulu abakutholi kunjalo. Isizathu sokuba umuntu aguge futhi afe sichazwe kweyabaseRoma 5:12: “Isono sangena ezweni ngamuntu munye [uAdamu], nangesono kwangena ukufa, ngokunjalo ukufa kwafikela abantu bonke.” Okuwukuphela kwekhambi lemiphumela yesono esizuzwe ngefa liyokuza ngomhlatshelo wesihlengo kaJesu Kristu. “UNkulunkulu wathumela ezweni iNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa ukuba siphile ngayo.” (1 Johane 4:9) Ngaphansi kokubusa koMbuso wakhe, “ukufa akusayikubakhona;nokudabuka,nokukhala, nobuhlungu, akusayikubakhona.”—IsAmbulo 21:3, 4.
Umgomo Womhlaba Wonke
Lapho abaholi bemibuso yezwe emibili emikhulu behlangana ngoDecember 8, 1987, ukuze basayine isivumelwano sokuncishiswa kwezikhali ezicitshwayo, kwachazwa njengesenzakalo “esiwumgomo omkhulu” wesintu. Ngani? Ngenxa yokuthi “kungokokuqala ngqá kusukela ekuqaleni kweNkathi YeAthomu ukuba imibuso emikhulu ivumelane hhayi nje kuphela ngokulawula izikhali zenuzi kodwa nokuqeda zonke izikhali,” kubika iDaily News yaseNew York. Ikhulumela kokubili isivumelwano ngokwaso nenani elincishisiwe lezikhali, iNews yenezela: “Uma isisekelo nezimiso zakho kungasetshenziswa kabanzi, kamuva umlando ungakugcina embhalweni njengesenzo sokuqala esimweni esibaluleke kakhulu soMhlaba sokuthula nokulondeka komhlaba wonke.”
Kuyiqiniso, izinto ezihIongozwayo zokuletha ukuthula nokulondeka zibalulekile. Nokho, okubaluleke kakhulu emhlabeni wonke kuyoba isikhathi emlandweni lapho abaholi bezwe beyomemezela ukuthula nokulondeka ngendlela ekhanya bha kunanini ngaphambili. Isikhathi sizofika lapho ukumemezela kwabo kuyobonakala kwehlukile emizamweni eminingi yokuthula eyobe yenziwa kuze kube ngalesosikhathi. Kungani singaqiniseka? Kungenxa yokuthi esikhathini eside ngaphambili umphostoli uPawulu wabikezela ukuthi “nxa bethi: Ngukuthula nokuhlala kahle, khona ukubhujiswa kuyabazuma . . . abasoze baphunyuka.” (1 Thesalonika 5:3) Khona-ke ukuthula nokulondeka kweqiniso kuyolandela ngaphansi kokubusa okulungile kukaKristu Jesu, “iNkosi yokuthula.”—Isaya 9:6, 7.
“Lokho Okuyisifo Sangempela”
“Ingculaza ayiyona ingozi eyishwa noma inhlekelele engokwemvelo engenakugwenywa. Isilinganiso sokuba umqedazwe kwayo siwumphumela wobuwula bethu siqu. . . . Akekho omunye okumelwe simsole ngaphandle kwethu,” kusho udokotela wokubelethisa nowezifo zabesifazane waseDenver, uW. M. Merrick Thomas. Echaza isizathu sombono wakhe ephephandabeni iRocky Mountain News, uyaphawula: “Ingculaza ayisona isifo sobungqingili. lyisifo sokusondelana nokuziphatha okuxekethile kobulili. . . . Izifo zokuziphatha okuxekethile kobulili ziyothinta ngokuqondile bonke abaziphatha ngokuxekethile ngokobulili.” Khona-ke, kunjengoba uThomas aphawula, “ukuziphatha kwethu okuyisifo sangempela.”
Yeka ukuthi amazwi kaPawulu afike ngesikhathi kanjani, owathi lapho echaza ukuziphatha okungenakuthethelelwa kwabantu abazisholo ukuthi bazi uNkulunkulu, wathi: “Ngalokho uNkulunkulu wabanikela ezinkanukweni zezinhliziyo zabo kukho ukungcola, . . . ekuhuhekeni okuyihlazo; . . . benza okuyichilo . . . bezitholela umvuzo ofanele ukuduka kwabo”! (Roma 1:24-27) Ukuphila okuhlanzekile ngokuvumelana nezindinganiso zeBhayibheli ngokuvamile kuyisivikelo ezinkathazweni ezikhathaza isintu namuhla.—IHubo 19:7-11.