Sidinga Izwe Elisha

AKE uhlehle futhi ubheke izimo ezikuzungezile. Ingabe uyakuthanda lokho okubonayo?

Mhlawumbe wena ngokwakho unekhaya elihle endaweni enhle, enakekelwa kahle. Futhi kungenzeka ukuthi unomsebenzi oholela kahle owuthandayo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, wena kanye nabathandekayo bakho kungenzeka ukuthi nijabulela isilinganiso esithile sempilo enhle. Sekukonke, ungase uzizwe ulondekile futhi ujabule ngokuqhathaniswa.

Kodwa ake ucabange ngezinye izindawo ezingomakhelwane, ezinye izingxenye zezwe ohlala kulo, ezinye izindawo. Ake ubheke umhlaba wonke. Ingabe ubona umfanekiso omuhle? Ingabe ngempela yilowo wokwaneliseka, wokuthula, nokuchuma?

Ngokwezinye izibikezelo ngasekuqaleni kwalelikhulu leminyaka, manje ezesayensi bekumelwe ngabe seziphelise zonke izifo ezinkulu, zenza kwaba nenala yokudla kwabo bonke, zasimamisa futhi zathuthukisa indawo ezungezile, futhi zangenisa inkathi yokuthula. Kodwa yini ngempela eyenzekile?

Akudingeki uhlolisise kakhulu ukuze ubone ukuthi ukuthula kuye kwasuka kuleplanethi yethu. “Kusukela ezikhathini ezingokweBhayibheli, abantu baye bayalwa ukuba bakhande izinkemba zibe ngamakhuba,” kubhala uMichael Renner kwethi State of the World 1990. “Iseluleko esinjalo asizange sibe esifaneleke kangaka. Ukuphishekela okuphikelelayo amandla angokwempi kuye kwaletha isintu onqenqemeni lokubhubha.”

Miningi imibiko yemibango yangaphakathi nezimpi ezibhubhisa amazwe amaningi kakhulu embulungeni yonke jikelele. Ngokomunye umthombo, kwakusalwiwa izimpi ezingu-22 ngo-1988.a Bangaki abaye bafa kulezozimpi? Kuze kube yilowonyaka futhi kuhlanganise nawo, “ingqikithi yenani labantu ababulawa kuzo zonke izimpi [ezazi]lwiwa ngo-1988 yaba ngu-4 645 000. Amaphesenti angamashumi ayisikhombisa nesithupha alabo ababulawa kwakungumphakathi ongenacala,” kusho iSt. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Ingabe izenzakalo zezwe zamuva zibonisa izwe elinokuthula elingaphambili? “Kuye kwathiwa iMpi Yomshoshaphansi iyekiwe futhi ukuthula kuye kwavulelwa ithuba. Kodwa ake ubheke futhi,” kusho isihloko kuyiSan Jose Mercury News yaseCalifornia, eU.S.A. “EMazweni Asathuthuka, impi iyaqhubeka ihlasela futhi alikho nethemba lokuba ixazululeke. Lezi yizimpi zezwe ezifihlwayo. Ngokwengxenye enkulu ziyizingxabano eziqhatha ohulumeni nabantu babo siqu: imibango yangaphakathi echitha igazi ngokuphathelene nezwe, inkolo, ukwehluka ngokobuzwe nangokwezizwe, igunya lezombangazwe, ngisho nezidakamizwa. . . . Kusukela oPhondweni LweAfrika kuya eNingizimu-mpumalanga Asia, impi iye yaphoqelela izigidi zabantu ukuba zibaleke emakhaya azo. Izivuno azisatshalwa, imithola-mpilo iyahlaselwa, imfuyo iyabhujiswa, abazali babulawa ngesihluku phambi kwezingane zabo, abafana abaneminyaka eyishumi benziwa izindibi bese beba amasosha, amantombazanyana ayadlwengulwa. Kulamazwe akhohlakala kakhulu, impi iye yashiya uphawu lokuwohloka nokungahleleki komphakathi lokho lemiphakathi engeke ilulame ngokugcwele kukho. . . . Ukucwaninga kubonisa ukuthi iminyaka yawo-1980 ibé nezimpi ezingaphezu kwanoma iliphi elinye ishumi leminyaka emlandweni.”

Iningi lalabo abaphumelelayo ukubalekela emazweni athuthukile lithola ukuthi ukuthula elalikufuna kuqedwé ukusongela kobugebengu bobudlova. “Ukuhlasela kobugebengu [eUnited States] kuye kwaqhubeka phakathi nawo-1980 naphezu kwezibikezelo zokuthi kwakuzoncipha,” kubika iU.S.News & World Report. “Esikhathini esingangonyaka: Kunobugebengu obungathi sína obuyizigidi ezingu-8,1 obunjengokubulala, ukuhlasela nokugqekeza. . . . Okubuhlungu kakhulu kunakho konke yindlela ukuchithwa kwegazi okuye kwasabalala ngayo futhi kwaba okungenakubonwa kusengaphambili. Ukwenziwa isisulu kuyinsakavukela. UMnyango waseU.S. Wokulinganisela Kwemithetho ulinganisela ukuthi izingane ezingamaphesenti angu-83 manje ezineminyaka ezingu-12 zizoba yizisulu zobudlova obungokoqobo noma obuzanyiwe uma ubugebengu buqhubeka ngamazinga amanje. . . . Ukujeziswa kwabenzi bobubi bomphakathi akuqinisekile futhi akusheshi. Kuso sonke isizwe, amaphoyisa akwazi ukuxazulula ubugebengu obungathi sína obubodwa kuphela kobuyisihlanu.” Izimo ezifanayo zikhona emhlabeni wonke. IsiShaya-mthetho seUN sibika “ukwanda kokubili kwezehlakalo nokushuba kobugebengu ezingxenyeni eziningi zomhlaba.”

Kodwa ngisho nakuba zonke izimpi, ukwakhiwa kwezikhali, nobugebengu bekungaphela ngokushesha emhlabeni, ukuphila bekuyoqhubeka kusongelwa. “Ubumpofu obubhubhisayo, izifo ezidlangile, nokungafundi okukhulu kuwuphawu lokuphila kwabangamakhulu ezigidi emazweni asathuthuka,” kuphawula iWorldwatch Institute embikweni wayo kwethi State of the World 1990. “Isintu sisonke—sicebile noma simpofu, siqinile ngokwempi noma sibuthakathaka—sibhekene nombono wokuwohloka kwendawo ezungezile okungenakufaniswa nalutho.”

Yebo, zona kanye izimiso zokusekela ukuphila isintu sonke esithembele kuzo ziyalulaza. “Umhlaba uwonke usesimweni esibi kakhulu [kunango-1970],” kubhala umhleli uPaul Hoffman kumagazini iDiscover. “Izibi zichitheka ngaphandle kwemigodi yethu yemfucumfucu. Imimoya ebangela ukufudumala yenza umkhathi ushise. Isivikelo seozone yaleplanethi siyancipha. Izingwadule ziyanda, futhi amahlathi anezimvula ayancipha. Izitshalo nezilwane ezithile ziyanyamalala ngezinga lezingu-17 ngehora.”

Kulokho nezela imiphumela yokungcoliswa okuqhubekayo kwezwe namanzi. Yiba nombono wokwenyuka okungashintshi kwenani labantu abasemhlabeni, okuphumela ekubeni umhlaba okhiqizayo omningi kakhulu uhlalwe noma ugandaywe, ngalokho kwandise ukunyamalala kwezilwane nezitshalo ezithile. Cabanga ngokuntuleka okwandayo kwemithombo yamanzi amasha kanye nenkinga yemvula eneacid. Phawula imiphumela esongela impilo yomoya ongcoliswe kakhulu kanye nezinkinga zemfucumfucu eyingozi. Kukonke, lokhu kusho inhlekelele ngohlanga lwesintu. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi singobani noma sikuphi, sidinga umoya, ukudla, amanzi, nemikhiqizo yemvelo ukuze siphile. Sikudinga kungangcolisiwe futhi ngesilinganiso esanele. Kakade, “ngabampofu, iminyaka yawo-1980 yaba yinhlekelele engahlehli, isikhathi sokudla okungenamsoco nokwenyuka kwamanani abafayo,” kusho iState of the World 1990.

Njengoba uhlanga lwesintu lusongelwa ngezindlela eziningi kangaka, ingabe ukhona ongaphika ukuthi umhlaba omusha udingeka kakhulu? Kodwa ingabe lokho kuyinto engenzeka ngempela? Umhlaba onjalo ubungavela kumuphi umthombo? Yiziphi izithiyo okumelwe zinqotshwe ngaphambi kokuba iplanethi yethu ibhekwe njengephephe ngempela nechumayo? Ake sibone.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 4]

WHO photo by P. Almasy