IMpi Yezwe I Nokuqala Kosizi
KUSUKELA ezikhathini zasendulo, umlando wesintu bewulokhu ugcwele ubudlova nezimpi. UNkulunkulu waletha uZamcolo womhlaba wonke osukwini lukaNowa ngenxa yokuthi “umhlaba wagcwala ubudlwangudlwangu.” (Genesise 6:11-13) Ngemva kwalokho iBhayibheli nomlando wezwe kulandisa ngamakhulukhulu ezimpi ezalwiwa ngisho nangaphambi kosuku lukaJesu. Ngakho-ke “izimpi namahemuhemu ezimpi” kwakungekhona okuthile okusha esintwini.
Ukuze le“zimpi namahemuhemu ezimpi” zibe nokuthile ezikushoyo kubafundi bakaJesu kwakumelwe zibe ngezivelele njengezihlukile ngandlela-thile. Waqhubeka echaza: “Ngokuba isizwe siyakuvukela isizwe, nombuso uvukele umbuso, kube-khona indlala nokuzamazama komhlaba izindawo ngezindawo. Kepha konke lokho kungukuqala kwemihelo.” (Mathewu 24:7, 8, qhathanisa noLuka 21:10, 11.) Ngakho-ke kwakungeke nje kube indaba yokuzwa impi eyodwa lapha nalaphaya. Lesisici sesibonakaliso sasiyohlanganisa izizwe eziningi nemibuso. Kwakuyoba impi ephelele!
Ingabe siye sayibona impi enjalo? Yebo, siyibonile, futhi yaqala ngesizukulwane sika-1914. Eqinisweni, siye sabona ezimbili izimpi ezinjalo ezihlanganisa imbulunga yonke kuleminyaka eyikhulu. Ukuthi loluhlobo lwempi ngempela lwalungokuthile okusha emlandweni wesintu kufakazelwa amagama abalobi-mlando abazinika wona. Eyokuqala yabizwa ngokuthi iMpi Enkulu. Kamuva kwashintshwa kwathiwa impi yezwe yokuqala, futhi eyalandela yabizwa ngokuthi impi yezwe yesibili. Impi yezwe yaba isibonakaliso esaqala ngonyaka ka-1914.
Usizi Olungenakuqhathaniswa
Ngokuvumelana nokubikezela kukaJesu, iMpi Yezwe I, yaphawula “ukuqala kwemihelo.” Njengoba abanyathelisi bencwadi ethiwa The End of Order beye baphawula esembozweni sencwadi: “Impi yezwe yokuqala neSivumelwano saseVersailles esalandela kwaveza udweshu olungathi sína kakhulu enkathini ende egcwele uthuthuva yomlando wesimanje wezwe. . . . Ngokungafani neze nokuletha ukuthula ezweni, izikhulu zemibuso ezahlangana ngo-1919 eParis naseVersailles zaphinde zafaka izwe, kulenkathi esiyaluyalwini esingenakunqandeka seminyaka yekhulu lamashumi amabili. Kwakuwukuphela kokuhleleka.”
Encwadini, umlobi uCharles L. Mee, Jr., uyaqhubeka echaza: “Ekupheleni kweMpi Enkulu, nokho, izikhulu zemibuso zabhekana nenselele yezwe elivithizekile, izwe okwabonakala sengathi liphakathi kokukhulu ukuwohloka komzwelo, ukuwohloka kwenhlanganisela yakudala yemibuso nobukhosi, ukwehlukana kokuhleleka kwezomnotho, intengiselwano ekhululekile yeminyaka yekhulu le-19, ukugqashuka kwenhlekelele ezumayo, kwezibhelu nokubulala, kobushiqela nokungahleleki, ukuzitika nokuphelelwa ithemba, ukuzijabulisa netwetwe kabanzi kangangokuba kulahlekise nengqondo. . . . Ngokungafani neze nokubuyisela ukuhleleka ezweni, zathatha isiyaluyalu seMpi Enkulu, futhi . . . yasiqinisa njengesimo esihlala njalo seminyaka yekhulu lethu.”
Lolusizi—ukufa kwesintu nokuhlupheka okwaqala ngempi yezwe yokuqala—akunakuqhathaniswa nalutho emlandweni wesintu. Amasu esimanje okulwa—ogandaganda bempi, ombayimbayi, izindiza nemikhumbi-ngwenya—kanye nokusungulwa nokusetshenziswa kobuthi bomoya ezimpini—kulethe incithakalo ezweni. “Isizukulwane siye sancishiswa kakhulu ezinkundleni zempi eYurophu,” kusho incwadi ethiwa The End of Order. “Akukho muntu oye wabona ukufa okunjengalokhu ngaphambili: Ukufa kwamasosha ngosuku kwakungaphezu kwalawo aseMpini Yangaphakathi EMelika ngokuphindwe ka-10, ngokuphindwe ngama-24 ngaphezu kokufa eziMpini zikaNapoleon, ngokuphindwe ngama-550 ngaphezu kokufa eMpini yamaBhunu.”
Nokho, uJesu wathi, lokhu kwakuyoba “ukuqala kwemihelo,” noma “imihelo yokuhlupheka.” Ezinye izinguqulo zibeka amazwi kaJesu ngokuthi “ukuqala kwemihelo yokuzala.” (Jerusalem Bible; iNew Testament in Modern English kaPhillips) Owesifazane okuseduze ukuba abelethe uzwa ubuhlungu obuqhubeka bukhula, obenzeka ngokuphindaphinda banda nangobude besikhathi. IMpi Yezwe I kanye nosizi oluhambisana nayo kwakuwukuqala kwemihelo yokuhlupheka.
Usizi Lwezwe Luyanda
Eminye imihelo nebuhlungu kakhudlwana yayizolandela ngokushesha ngokuza kweMpi Yezwe II. “Inani lilonke labafa ngenxa yempi nesifo esasakazeka ngempi okubikwa ukuthi kwabangelwa iMpi Yezwe I liye lalinganiselwa njengelingaphezu kwezigidi ezingama-40 futhi lelo okuthiwa labangelwa iMpi Yezwe II njengelingaphezu kwezinkulungwane ezingama-60,” kubhala uQuincy Wright encwadini ethi A Study of War. “Okungenani amaphesenti ayi-10 okufa empucukweni yesimanje kungase kushiwo ukuthi ngokuqondile noma ngandlela-thile abangelwa impi.”
Ukufa kwezakhamizi kwakungokuphakeme ngokukhethekile empini yezwe yesibili. Njengoba uProfesa Wright echaza: “Indlala, ukuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu, ukuthathwa kwezindawo, nobushokobezi obuhilela ukubhujiswa kwamadolobha ngokuphelele kwasetshenziswa eMpini Yezwe II ngokumelene nazo zonke izakhamizi zesintu nendawo yazo. . . . Konke okuphilayo embusweni oyisitha kwaba yizisulu zokuhlaselwa. Imfundiso yokunqoba yagcizelelwa imibuso ethile kwaze kwaba sezingeni lokubhujiswa kwezakhamizi namalungelo azo ezakhiwo ukuze yakhe ezindaweni ezazihlala kuzo.”
Usizi olwabangelwa ukuqhunyiswa ngamabhomu omlilo kweDresden neTokyo ngo-1945, okwabangela ukufa kwabayizi-235 000, kwafana nokungelutho ngenxa yosizi olwagqashuka ezinyangeni ezimbalwa kamuva ngamabhomu amabili eathomu ajikijelwa eHiroshima naseNagasaki. Okwakwenziwa amashumi ezinkulungwane zamabhomu, uma sikhuluma ngabantu abalahlekelwa ukuphila, manje kungafezwa ngebhomu elilodwa nje kuphela. Kodwa okwakubhubhisa ngisho nangokungaphezulu kwakuyimiphumela eyingozi yobuthi obuhamba ngemisebe, obuqhubekayo kuze kube usuku lwethu.
Lapho ibhala ngeyodwa nje ibhomu yeathomu eyawela eHiroshima, iWorld Press Review kaJune 1982 ithi: “Abagibeli Abane Bamahhashi BesAmbulo sebekhululiwe. Abanenhlanhla yilabo abafa esiwombeni sokuqala—cishe amadoda ayizi-100 000, abesifazane, abantwana abangena isikole, abancane, nezinsana. Abaningi abafayo abanezelwe abayizi-100 000 babeyofa ngobuhlungu bomzimba ovithizekile, ukusha okwesabekayo, kumbe ngesifo semisebe esihamba kancane.” Imihelo yokuhlupheka yayiba namandla kakhulu.
Ukuthula Kususiwe Emhlabeni
Ukubhekisela ku“Bagibeli Bamahhasi Abane besAmbulo” kuyathakazelisa ngenxa yokuthi kusekelwe endabeni yeBhayibheli esesahlukweni sesithupha sencwadi yesAmbulo. Lapha, IsAm 6 ivesi lesine lifundeka kanje: “Kwase kuphuma elinye ihashi elibomvu, nohlezi phezu kwalo waphiwa ukususa ukuthula emhlabeni, ukuze babulalane, wanikwa nenkemba enkulu.” Yeka indlela lokhu okuvumelana ngayo nesici sesibonakaliso uJesu asinikeza sesizwe sivukela isizwe nombuso uvukela umbuso!
Ukuthula kuye kwasuswa ngempela emhlabeni. Njengoba abalobi-mlando beye babika ngeminyaka yokuthula ngaphambi kuka-1914, ayizange iphinde ibe khona ngemva kwalokho. Abantu babethembela ezeni ngokuthi impi yezwe yokugcina yayiyoletha inkathi yokuthula. Incwadi ethi The Violent Peace ithi: “Ukuthula okwaba khona ngo-1945 akuzange kulethe siphelo sempi, njengoba sasithemba kanjalo. Abantu baye balwa kusukela ngalesosikhathi cishe kuwo wonke amagumbi omhlaba—kusuka eGreece kuya eNingizimu Vietnam, kusuka eKashmir kuya eCongo—futhi ukuvukelwa kwemibuso kuye kwaqubuka njengamakhowe ezizweni zezwe ezimpofu.”
UMnyango Wombuso wase-U.S. muva nje wabika ukuthi kuye kwaba khona okungenani izimpi zezizwe zonke nezangaphakathi emazweni eziyi-130 kusukela ekupheleni kweMpi Yezwe II. “Cishe abantu bezwe abangaba yizi-701 600-000 bahilelekile ezimpini ezihlukahlukene,” kubika iStar saseToronto sikaJune 13, 1982. “Lokho cishe kungumuntu oyedwa kwabayisithupha emhlabeni wonke futhi lelonani alihlukanga kude kangako namanani ahileleka ngokuqondile eMpini Yezwe II. Cishe amasosha ayizi-250 000 futhi kuze kufinyelele ezakhamizini eziyizi-2 000 000 bayafa unyaka ngamunye [kulezimpi].”
“Izimpi namahemuhemu ezimpi” kuqhubeka ngokungenakuvinjelwa. Njengoba incwadi ethi The Violent Peace ikubeka: “Kusukela [ngo-1945] abantu abasasenzi isimemezelo sempi noma sokuphela kwempi. Bamane nje balwe. Inkathi yethu ngeyobudlova beningi obuqhubeka ngegama lokuthula.”
Ingabe iyoba khona yini eminye imihelo yosizi lwembulunga yonke eyokuza ngempi yezwe yesithathu? “Siphila ezweni elingaphambi kwempi hhayi kwelingemva kwempi,” kusho uEugene Rostow, umqondisi weNhlangano Yezokubeka Phansi Izikhali Nokuqondiswa Kwazo yaseUnited States. Ngokuqinisekile izizwe zizilungisele impi enjalo! Njengamanje zisebenzisa cishe isi-1 000 000 samaRandi umzuzu ngamunye ezikhalini. Ezigidini eziyizinkulungwane ezingama-R550 ezasetshenziselwa ukulungiselela impi ngo-1981, cishe izigidi zamaRandi eziyizinkulungwane eziyi-110 zasetshenziselwa izikhali zenyukliya. Ukunqwatshelwaniswa kwezikhali zenyukliya manje sekunamandla okubhubhisa alingana nawamabhomu eathomu ayisigidi ohlobo olwabhubhisa iHiroshima. Ngokuqinisekile ukuthula kuye kwasuswa emhlabeni.—IsAmbulo 6:4.
Ubufakazi ngokuqondene nempi ezikhathini zanamuhla bukhomba kulesisiphetho: Ngokuqinisekile siphila ‘ezinsukwini zokugcina’ zalesisimiso sezinto.
Nokho uJesu akazange aphethe ngokuphawula impi yezwe lonke kuphela. Waphawula ezinye izici eziningana zesibonakaliso, ezaziyokwenzeka ngesikhathi esifanayo, zifakazele ngokungenakuphikiswa ukuthi siphila esikhathini “sokuba khona kwakhe nesokuphela kwesimiso sezinto.”
Ezinye izici zesibonakaliso kuyoxoxwa ngazo komagazini abalandelayo.—Mathewu 24:3-12; Luka 21:7-11.