Umbono WeBhayibheli
Ukubhema—Izingozi
NGAWO-1950, enye inkampane kagwayi yakhangisa ugwayi wayo ngokuthi “yilokho kanye udokotela akufunayo.” Ngokuqiniseka okukhulu, iziqubulo ezinjalo zake zathuthukisa ugwayi njengowusizo empilweni nasekunikezeni umfutho—kodwa akusenjalo! Lezi izinsuku lapho ohulumeni bedinga ukuba amaphakethe kagwayi abe nezigqebhezana ezinesixwayiso ngokuphathelene nezingozi ezingathi sina zempilo.
Nokho, abanye ababhemi banamathela embonweni wokuthi ‘ugwayi ungisiza ukuba ngicabange futhi ngisebenze kangcono.’ Bangase balushaye indiva usongo lwempilo ngokuthi kuyefana nje nokudla uswidi ukuze uthole amandla ngokushesha noma ukuphuza ikhofi ukuze uqalise usuku. Noma bangase balinganisele ingozi yokubhema emzimbeni kuphela. Ingabe bakhuluma iqiniso? Ingabe sikhona isizathu sokuphikisa ngokuthi ugwayi—nazo zonke izingozi zawo—kungabasiza ukuba basebenze kangcono?
Inani Eliphakeme Lokukhokhwa!
Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ngempela ugwayi uyamvuza umuntu obhemayo ngokuqapha okukhudlwana kanye nekhono lokusebenza noma umane nje wakhe umbono oyiphutha wokwenza kanjalo, akukho kungabaza ngokuthi lowomvuzo uza nenani elishaqisayo. Ngaphandle kwengozi yokuba nomdlavuza kanye nesifo senhliziyo ekugcineni, cabangela umphumela oza ngokushesha ngokwengeziwe: Phakathi nemizuzwana eyisikhombisa kuya kweyishumi yokuphafuza ngakunye, umuntu obhemayo uzwa amandla ashukumisayo esidakamizwa, inicotine: “Siyazilawula,” kusho isazi semiphumela yezidakamizwa engqondweni nangokokuziphatha saseYunivesithi yaseCalifornia uNina Schneider, “futhi silawula isimo semizwelo kanye nendlela yokwenza. Yilokho okusenza sibe umlutha onamandla kangaka.”
Ingabe silutha njengeheroin necocaine? Yebo, kwasho udokotela oyisikhulu sezokuhlinza waseUnited States esixwayisweni esakhishwa ngoMay 16, 1988. Wachaza ukuthi lokhu kulutheka okungokomzimba kuyisizathu esiyokwenza abanye ababhemi “baphikelele naphezu kwemiphumela engathandeki engokomzimba, engokwengqondo noma engokwenhlalo.”
Futhi yeka leyomiphumela! Ngo-1985 ukubhema kwabangela ukufa kwabantu abayizi-100 000 ngonyaka eBrithani, abayizi-350 000 ngonyaka eUnited States, kanye nengxenye yesithathu yabo bonke abafa eGrisi. Lombhalo ogciniwe njengenkinga engokwempilo yomphakathi kunzima ukuwuthethelela. Lombulali, ukubhema ugwayi, akukhona nje ukuthi akunamsebenzi emzimbeni njengokudla noma isiphuzo kodwa kulimaza ngokuphelele.
Khona-ke, ingabe inicotine esentuthwini kagwayi yimbi ngaphezu kwecaffeine esekhofini, etiyeni, noma kushokoleti? Ngokokubheka kwabezokwelapha, akuqhathaniseki. UDkt. Peter Dews, ongumcwaningi wecaffeine waseYunivesithi yaseHarvard uthi: “Ngokuvamile, icaffeine ayisona isici esibalulekile esibangela impilo embi esizweni ngendlela ukubhema ugwayi okuyiyo.” Kodwa lokhu kumangalelwa kokubhema ezokwelapha kumane nje kuyisiqalo.
Ukuhlaziywa Kwesaba Esibi
Ukuze ubone ukuthi kungani ukubhema kusohlwini oluhluke ngokuphelele kwelokudla neziphuzo, cabangela umklamo womzimba wakho. UmShumayeli 7:29 uthi “uNkulunkulu wamenza umuntu wabaqotho, kepha bona bafunile amacebo amaningi.” Nakuba ukudla kuwumsebenzi womzimba ongokwemvelo owawunikezwa uNkulunkulu, ukusetshenziswa kabi kwezidakamizwa ezingezona ezokwelapha kuyinto eyaqanjwa umuntu. Akukho ukusetshenziswa okungokwemvelo, nokulinganiselayo kwalezidakamizwa eziluthayo. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ziyabhenywa, ziphuzwa njengamaphilisi, noma zifakwa ngemijovo, zishukumisa futhi zisonte imisebenzi yomzimba ngezindlela eziphambene nemvelo.
Ngokuphambene, cishe noma yikuphi ukudla noma isiphuzo kuyokwanelisa ezinye zezidingo zomzimba wakho ezivamile zamandla, ukukhula, nokuvuselelwa kwamangqamuzana. Kuyavunywa, abantu abanezinkinga ezithile ezingokwempilo kumelwe bagweme ukudla okunezinto ezivimbela ukubola, amafutha amaningi, noma icaffeine. (Kumuntu onesifo sikashukela, ushukela ovamile uyingozi.) Kodwa kubantu abaningi, ngisho nakho lokhu kudla kunenzuzo ethile engokwempilo, futhi uma kusetshenziswa ngokusesilinganisweni akunangozi. Ukubhema kuyindaba ehluke ngokuphelele.
Ngisho nomucu kagwayi owodwa noma emibili, njengokusebenzisa icocaine kanye ukuze uzijabulise, kuyenga ngokuyingozi. Ukuhlola kukahulumeni waseBrithani kwathola ukuthi lapho intsha ibhema imicu kagwayi embalwa njengemibili kuphela, yayinamathuba angamaphesenti ayi-15 kuphela okuba abantu abangabhemi.
Ukuba Sesimweni Sakho Esingcono Kakhulu Esingokomoya
Ngokuqinisekile awunakuba sesimweni sakho esingcono kakhulu njengesisulu esingakwazi ukuzisiza esincike ezidakamizweni ngokomzimba—“isifiso esingabekezeleleki” senicotine njengoba udokotela oyisikhulu sezokuhlinza waseU.S. akuchaza. Kunokuba uvumele umzimba wakho ukulawule njengesigqila, iBhayibheli likhuthaza ukuzithiba, amandla ‘okuwenza isigqila.’—1 Korinte 9:24-27.
Ugwayi akukhona nje kuphela ukuthi uhlasela inyama yomuntu obhemayo—ingozi yokuba nomdlavuza, iemphysema, nesifo senhliziyo nemithambo yegazi—kodwa futhi kuhlasela isifiso sakhe. Ngakho, ngokungcolisa kwawo okuwumshoshaphansi, ngokuhamba kwesikhathi lomkhuba ugqilaza ubuntu bomuntu obhemayo, noma isimo sengqondo. “Iminyaka engama-26,” kuvuma umbhali kamagazini iTime, “bengiyisigqila sikagwayi. Okungenani iminyaka eyishumi, bengilokhu ngizama ukugqashula. Imihuqa yenicotine kuphela eye yazama ngokuphindaphindiwe ukulahla lomkhuba futhi yehluleka engayiqaphela ngokugcwele indlela okunzima ngayo ukuwuyeka.”
IBhayibheli liyasibopha, njengalabo abathandwa uNkulunkulu, ukuba ‘sizihlambulule ekungcoleni konke kwenyama nokomoya.’—2 Korinte 7:1.
Kungani kumelwe uNkulunkulu akhathalele ukuthi siyisebenzisa kabi yini imizimba yethu siqu kanye namandla engqondo? Kungenxa nje yokuthi unguMdali wethu onothando, okukhathalelayo ukuba siphile ngokwamandla ethu agcwele njengendalo yakhe. Ngokujabulisayo, uthi: “NginguJehova uNkulunkulu wakho okufundisile okukusizayo [hhayi okukulimazayo].”—Isaya 48:17.
Khona-ke, inselele yangempela iwukuthembeka kithi ngokwethu ngenxa yenzuzo yethu siqu. Akusizi ukuvikela ukubhema ngenxa yethonya lakho eliqabulayo noma ezinye “izinzuzo” ezingenakulinganiswa nokugwema usizi lokuyeka inicotine. Ngokwezokwelapha, ukubhema bekulokhu kuyinhlekelele empilweni yomphakathi; kodwa ngokwenkolo, lendlela eqanjwe umuntu yokufaka inicotine egazini idlule emaphashini iye yangazinaka izindinganiso ezihlanzekile zoMdali wethu futhi ingcolisa, ilulaze umzimba womuntu. Ngakho kungani uzibizela inkathazo? Yeka ukuthi kungcono kangakanani ukulalela isaga esithi: “Oqondileyo uyabona ububi, acashe, kepha abangenalwazi badlula nje, bahlupheke ngakho.”—IzAga 22:3.
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 30]
Vincent van Gogh, Skull With Cigarette, 1885. Courtesy of the National Museum, Amsterdam, Holland