Ngomfanekiso KaNkulunkulu Noma Wesilwane?
UMUNTU wokuqala, u-Adamu, wayebizwa ngokuthi “indodana kaNkulunkulu.” (Luka 3:38) Asikho isilwane esake sajabulela ukubizwa ngaleyo ndlela. Nokho, iBhayibheli libonisa ukuthi abantu banezinto eziningi abafana ngazo nezilwane. Ngokwesibonelo, kokubili abantu nezilwane kuyimiphefumulo. Lapho uNkulunkulu edala u-Adamu, uGenesise 2:7 uthi “umuntu waba-kanjalo umphefumulo ophilayo.” (Omalukeke sizenzele.) Eyoku-1 Korinte 15:45 iyavuma: “Umuntu wokuqala u-Adamu waba umphefumulo ophilayo.” Abantu bayimiphefumulo, ngakho umphefumulo awusona isithunzi esithile esisindayo lapho umzimba ufa.
Ngokuphathelene nezilwane, uGenesise 1:24 uthi: “Umhlaba mawuveze izilwane eziphilayo ngezinhlobo zazo, izinkomo, nezilwanyana ezinwabuzelayo, nezilo zomhlaba ngezinhlobo zazo.” (Omalukeke sizenzele.) Ngakho, nakuba linikeza abantu isithunzi ngokwembula ukuthi sadalwa ngomfanekiso kaNkulunkulu, iBhayibheli lisikhumbuza nangesimo sethu esiphansi njengoba siyimiphefumulo yasemhlabeni, njengezilwane. Nokho, kukhona futhi okunye umuntu afana ngakho nesilwane.
IBhayibheli liyachaza: “Okwehlela amadodana abantu kwehlela nezilwane, into inye ikwehlela kokubili: njengalokhu kufa lokho, kuyafa nalokhu . . . Umuntu akazidluli ngalutho izilwane . . . Konke kuya endaweni inye; konke kuvela othulini, konke kubuyela othulini.” Yebo, umuntu nezilwane kuyafana nalapho kufile. Kokubili kubuyela “emhlabathini,” lapho kwavela khona.—UmShumayeli 3:19, 20; Genesise 3:19.
Kodwa kungani abantu becindezeleka kangaka ngenxa yokufa? Kungani silangazelela ukuphila phakade? Futhi kungani kumelwe sibe nenjongo ekuphileni? Ngokuqinisekile, sihluke kakhulu ezilwaneni!
Okusenza Sihluke Ezilwaneni
Ubungajabula yini ukuphila ungenanjongo, uphilela nje ukudla, ukulala nokuzala? Ngisho nezazi ezishisekela ukuziphendukela kwemvelo aziwamukeli lo mqondo. Isazi sokuziphendukela kwemvelo uT. Dobzhansky siyabhala: “Umuntu wesimanje, onokungabaza nothi uNkulunkulu akaziwa, akanakukugwema okungenani ukuzibuza ngasese ngale mibuzo yakudala: Ingabe ukuphila kwami kunayo injongo ngaphandle kokuzigcina ngiphila futhi ngiveze inzalo? Ingabe umhlaba engiphila kuwo unenjongo ethile?”
Ngempela, ukuphika ubukhona boMdali akukuqedi ukulangazela komuntu ukwazi injongo yokuphila. Ecaphuna isazi-mlando u-Arnold Toynbee, uRichard Leakey uyabhala: “Lesi siphiwo [somuntu] esingokomoya simbophezela emthwalweni wokuphila konke wokuzivumelanisa nendawo yonke azalelwe kuyo.”
Nokho, imibuzo eyisisekelo ngemvelo yomuntu, imisuka yethu nengokomoya lethu isalokhu iphakama. Kusobala ukuthi kunegebe elikhulu phakathi komuntu nezilwane. Likhulu kangakanani lelo gebe?
Ingabe Igebe Elingenakuvaleka?
Inkinga eyinhloko ngenkolelo-mbono yokuziphendukela kwemvelo yigebe elikhulu elihlukanisa abantu nezilwane. Empeleni, likhulu kangakanani? Cabangela ezinye zezinto eziye zashiwo yizo kanye izazi zokuziphendukela kwemvelo ngalokhu.
Umsekeli ovelele wenkolelo-mbono yokuziphendukela kwemvelo ekhulwini le-19 leminyaka, uThomas H. Huxley, wabhala: “Akekho oqiniseka njengami ngobukhulu begebe eliphakathi . . . komuntu nezilwane . . . , ngoba nguye kuphela onesiphiwo esimangalisayo sokukhuluma ngendlela enengqondo neqondakalayo [futhi] . . . uvelele ngalokho njengokungathi usesiqongweni sentaba, uphakeme kakhulu kunezilwane aphila nazo.”
Isazi sokuziphendukela kwemvelo uMichael C. Corballis siphawula ukuthi “kunegebe eliphawulekayo phakathi kwabantu nezinye izilwane . . . ‘Ubuchopho bethu bukhulu ngokuphindwe kathathu kunalokho ebesingakulindela esilwaneni esilingana nathi.’” Kanti isazi sezinzwa uRichard M. Restak siyachaza: “Ubuchopho [bomuntu] buwukuphela kwesitho endaweni yonke esizama ukuziqonda ngokwaso.”
ULeakey uyavuma: “Ukuqaphela izinto kwenza ososayensi babhekane nengqinamba, abanye abakholelwa ukuthi ayinakuxazululeka. Umuzwa wokuziqaphela sonke esinawo muhle kangangokuthi ucacisa konke esikucabangayo nesikwenzayo.” Uthi futhi: “Ngempela ukukwazi ukukhuluma kuvula igebe phakathi kwama-Homo sapiens [abantu] nayo yonke enye imvelo.”
Ekhomba esinye isimanga ngengqondo yomuntu, uPeter Russell uyabhala: “Inkumbulo ngokuqinisekile ingenye yamakhono omuntu abaluleke kakhulu. Ngaphandle kwayo besingeke sikwazi ukufunda . . . , izingqondo bezingeke zisebenze, besingeke sithuthukise ulimi esilukhulumayo, noma ezinye izimfanelo . . . ngokuvamile ezihlotshaniswa nokuba umuntu.”
Ngaphezu kwalokho, asikho isilwane esihlanganyela ekukhulekeleni. Ngakho, u-Edward O. Wilson uyaphawula: “Ukuthambekela enkolweni kuyithonya eliyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu nelinamandla engqondweni yomuntu futhi cishe liyingxenye engenakususwa yemvelo yomuntu.”
“Ukuziphatha kwabantu kuveza ezinye izimfihlakalo eziningi ngenkolelo-mbono kaDarwin,” kusho isazi sokuziphendukela kwemvelo uRobert Wright. “Ukuba namahlaya nokuhleka kufezani? Kungani abantu bevuma izono lapho sebezofa? . . . Ukudabuka kufezani ngempela? . . . Njengoba umuntu eseshonile, ukudabuka kuzizuzisa kanjani izakhi zofuzo?”
Isazi sokuziphendukela kwemvelo u-Elaine Morgan siyavuma: “Izimfihlakalo ezine ezivelele ngabantu yilezi: (1) kungani behamba ngezinyawo ezimbili? (2) kungani bengasenabo uboya? (3) kungani benobuchopho obukhulu kangaka? (4) kungani bafunda ukukhuluma?”
Izazi zokuziphendukela kwemvelo ziyiphendula kanjani le mibuzo? UMorgan uyachaza: “Izimpendulo ezivamile zale mibuzo zithi: (1) ‘Asikazi’; (2) ‘Asikazi’; (3) ‘Asikazi’, nokuthi (4) ‘Asikazi.’”
Inkolelo-mbono Engenasisindo
Umlobi wencwadi ethi The Lopsided Ape waphawula ukuthi inhloso yakhe “kwakuwukunikeza incazelo eningilizayo yokuziphendukela komuntu ngokwemvelo ngokuhamba kwesikhathi. Iziphetho eziningi ziyaqagelwa, njengoba zisekelwe ngokuyinhloko emazinyweni, emathanjeni nasematsheni ambalwa asendulo.” Ngempela, abaningi abayamukeli ngisho nenkolelo-mbono kaDarwin endala. URichard Leakey uthi: “Incazelo kaDarwin ngendlela esaziphendukela ngayo ngokwemvelo yayibusa isayensi yemvelaphi yabantu kwaze kwaba seminyakeni embalwa edlule, futhi kwatholakala ukuthi iyiphutha.”
Ngokuka-Elaine Morgan, izazi eziningi zokuziphendukela kwemvelo “azisazethembi izimpendulo ezazicabanga ukuthi ziyazazi eminyakeni engu-30 edlule.” Ngakho, akumangalisi ukuthi ezinye zezinkolelo-mbono ezazisekelwa izazi zokuziphendukela kwemvelo sezishabalele.
Imiphumela Edabukisayo
Okunye ukuhlola kuye kwathola ukuthi inani lezinsikazi isilwane esiyinduna esizikhwelayo lihlobene nokuhluka kobukhulu bomzimba phakathi kwalezi zilwane. Ngenxa yalokhu, abanye baye baphetha ngokuthi imikhuba yabantu yobulili kumelwe ifane neyezinkawu, njengoba izinkawu eziyizinduna, njengabantu besilisa, zithanda ukuba zinkulu kunezezinsikazi. Ngakho abanye bathi njengezinkawu, abantu kufanele bavunyelwe ukuba nabantu abangaphezu koyedwa abahlanganyela nabo ubuhlobo bobulili. Futhi empeleni, abantu abaningi benze njalo.
Kodwa okubonakala kuphumelela ezinkawini ngokuvamile kuye kwaba yinhlekelele kubantu. Amaqiniso abonisa ukuthi ukuziphatha okuxekethile kuholela osizini oluhambisana nokuwohloka kwemikhaya, ukukhishwa kwezisu, izifo, ukukhungatheka ngokwengqondo nangokomzwelo, umhawu, ubudlova ekhaya nezingane ezishiywa dengwane ezingakhuli ngendlela efanele, nazo ezibhebhethekisa leso simo. Uma ukuphila njengezilwane kulungile, kungani kubangela ubuhlungu obungaka?
Imibono yokuziphendukela kwemvelo yenza kungabazeke nokuthi ukuphila komuntu kungcwele. Kungani sithi ukuphila komuntu kungcwele uma sithi uNkulunkulu akekho futhi sizibheka njengezilwane nje ezingcono? Ingabe mhlawumbe kungenxa yokuhlakanipha kwethu? Ukube bekunjalo, khona-ke umbuzo ophakanyiswa encwadini ethi The Human Difference ubuyofaneleka kahle: “Ingabe kulungile yini ukuphatha abantu njengabangcono kunezinja namakati ngenxa nje yokuthi thina saba nenhlanhla yokudlula kuzo zonke izigaba [zokuziphendukela kwemvelo]?”
Njengoba umbono omusha ngokuziphendukela kwemvelo usakazeka, “ngokuqinisekile uyoyithonya ngokujulile imibono yokuziphatha,” kusho incwadi ethi The Moral Animal. Kodwa isimilo esinonya esisekelwe ekutheni sabunjwa “ukuzikhethela kwemvelo,” okuyinqubo lapho “abanamandla nabanobuqili besizakala khona ngababuthaka nabangakwazi ukuzimela,” njengoba kusho uH. G. Wells.
Kuyaphawuleka ukuthi izinkolelo-mbono eziningi zezazi zokuziphendukela kwemvelo eziye zawohloza isimilo iminyaka eminingi ziye zashabalala ngenxa yokucabanga okusha. Kodwa inhlekelele iwukuthi umonakalo oye wabangelwa yilezo zinkolelo-mbono usasele.
Sikhulekele Indalo Noma UMdali?
Ukuziphendukela kwemvelo kwenza umuntu athembele endalweni ukuze athole izimpendulo, kunokuthembela kuMdali. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, iBhayibheli lisikhomba phezulu kuNkulunkulu weqiniso ukuze sithole izindinganiso zokuziphatha nenjongo yokuphila. Liyachaza nokuthi kungani kufanele sizikhandle ukuze sigweme ukwenza okubi nokuthi kungani kungabantu kuphela abakhathazwa ukufa kangaka. Ngaphezu kwalokho, incazelo yalo yokuthi kungani sithambekele ekwenzeni okubi yamukeleka njengeyiqiniso engqondweni yomuntu nasenhliziyweni yakhe. Sikumema ukuba ucabangele leyo ncazelo eyanelisayo.
[Izithombe ekhasini 7]
Likhulu kangakanani igebe eliphakathi komuntu nesilwane?