“Liyini Iqiniso?”

AMADODA amabili ayebhekene ayengafani nhlobo. Enye yayiyisazi sezombangazwe esingathembi muntu, esinesifiso sokuvelela, esicebile, esilungele ukwenza noma yini ukuze sithuthukise umsebenzi waso siqu wokuziphilisa. Enye yayingumfundisi owenqaba ingcebo nodumo futhi owayezimisele ukudela ukuphila kwakhe ukuze asindise ukuphila kwabanye. Ngokusobala, lamadoda amabili ayengaboni ngaso linye! Endabeni ethile awazange avumelane ngokuphelele—indaba yeqiniso.

Lamadoda ayengoPontiyu Pilatu noJesu Kristu. UJesu wayemi phambi kukaPilatu njengesigebengu esilahliwe. Ngani? UJesu wachaza ukuthi isizathu salokhu—yebo, sona kanye isizathu sokuba eze emhlabeni futhi afeze inkonzo yakhe—kwakuyisizathu esisodwa: iqiniso. Wathi: “Ngizalelwe lokhu, futhi ngizele lokhu ezweni, ukuba ngifakazele iqiniso.”—Johane 18:37.

Impendulo kaPilatu yayiwumbuzo ophawulekayo: “Liyini iqiniso?” (Johane 18:38) Ingabe wayefuna impendulo ngempela? Cishe akunjalo. UJesu wayewuhlobo lomuntu olwaluphendula noma imuphi umbuzo ayewubuzwe ngobuqotho, kodwa akazange amphendule uPilatu. Futhi iBhayibheli lithi ngemva kokubuza lombuzo, uPilatu waphuma ngaso leso sikhathi phakathi kwababeyizilaleli. Cishe lombusi wamaRoma wabuza lowo mbuzo enokungakholwa ngenxa yokungathembi muntu, njengokungathi uthi, “Iqiniso? Yini leyo? Ayikho into enjalo!”a

Umbono kaPilatu wokungabaza iqiniso uvamile namuhla. Iningi likholelwa ukuthi iqiniso liyindaba yokuzinqumela—ngamanye amazwi, lokho okuyiqiniso kumuntu othile kungase kungabi iqiniso komunye, okungukuthi bobabili bangase babe “neqiniso.” Lenkolelo isakazeke kangangokuthi ize inegama—“ukuzinqumela.” Ingabe ilendlela oyibheka ngayo indaba yeqiniso? Uma kunjalo, kungenzeka yini ukuthi usuwamukele lombono ngaphandle kokuwuhlolisisa? Ngisho noma ungazange, uyazi yini ukuthi lefilosofi ikuthonya ngezinga elingakanani ukuphila kwakho?

Ukuhlaselwa Kweqiniso

UPontiyu Pilatu wayengeyena umuntu wokuqala ukungabaza umbono weqiniso eliphelele. Ezinye izazi zefilosofi zasendulo ezingamaGreki zenza ukufundiswa kokungabaza okunjalo kwaba umsebenzi wokuphila kwazo konke! Emakhulwini amahlanu eminyaka ngaphambi kukaPilatu, uParmenides (oye waqashelwa njengomsunguli wesayensi yefilosofi yesimo sezinto ezikhona yaseYurophu) wayekholelwa ukuthi ulwazi lwangempela lwalungenakufinyeleleka. UDemocritus, odunyiswa ‘njengesazi sefilosofi sasendulo esikhulu kunazo zonke,’ wagomela: “Iqiniso lifihlwe ekujuleni. . . . Akukho esiqiniseka ngakho.” Kungenzeka isazi esihlonishwa ngaphezu kwazo zonke, uSocrates, sathi okuwukuphela kwento esasiyazi ngempela kwakuwukuthi asazi lutho.

Lokhu kuhlaselwa kombono wokuthi iqiniso lingase laziwe kuye kwaqhubeka kwaze kwaba sosukwini lwethu. Ngokwesibonelo, ezinye izazi zefilosofi zithi njengoba ulwazi lufinyelela kithi ngezinzwa zethu, ezingakhohliseka, alukho ulwazi oluyiqiniso elingase lifakazelwe. Isazi sefilosofi saseFrance nesiyisazi sesayensi yezibalo uRené Descartes sanquma ukuhlola zonke izinto esasicabanga ukuthi sasizazi ngokuqinisekile. Wazilahla zonke ngaphandle kweqiniso elilodwa athi elingenakungatshazwa: “Cogito ergo sum,” noma, “Ngiyacabanga, ngakho ngiyimina.”

Inkolelo Yokuzinqumela

Ukuzinqumela akulinganiselwe ezazini zefilosofi kuphela. Kufundiswa abaholi benkolo, kuyimfundiso yasezikoleni, futhi kusakazwa nayimithombo yezindaba. Umbhishobhi weSonto Likamoya uJohn S. Spong wathi eminyakeni embalwa edlule: “Kumelwe . . . sisuke ekucabangeni ukuthi sineqiniso nokuthi abanye kumelwe bavumelane nombono wethu bese siqaphela ukuthi iqiniso eliphelele akekho ongalifinyelela.” Inkolelo kaSpong yokuzinqumela, njengaleyo yabefundisi abaningi namuhla, iyashesha ukulahla izimfundiso zeBhayibheli zokuziphatha isekele ifilosofi yokuthi ‘umuntu ngamunye azenzele iziphetho zakhe.’ Ngokwesibonelo, emzamweni wokwenza ukuba ongqingili bazizwe ‘bemukelekile’ eSontweni Likamoya, uSpong wabhala incwadi ethi umphostoli uPawulu wayengungqingili!

Emazweni amaningi izimiso zezikole zibonakala zigxilisa uhlobo olufanayo lokucabanga. U-Allan Bloom wabhala encwadini yakhe ethi The Closing of the American Mind: “Kunento eyodwa uprofesa angaqiniseka ngokuphelele ngayo: cishe bonke abafundi abangena eyunivesithi bakholelwa, noma bathi bayakholelwa ukuthi iqiniso liyindaba yokuzinqumela.” UBloom wathola ukuthi uma ayebekela ukucabanga kwabafundi bakhe inselele kulendaba, babesabela ngokumangala, “njengokungathi wayengabaza ukuthi 2 + 2 = 4.”

Ukucabanga okufanayo kukhuthazwa ngezinye izindlela eziningi. Ngokwesibonelo, abacosheli bezindaba ze-TV nezamaphephandaba ngokuvamile babonakala benesithakazelo sokulibazisa izibukeli zabo kunokuveza amaqiniso endaba. Ezinye izinhlelo zezindaba ziye zaguqula ngisho nokuguqula noma zenza imibukiso yamafilimu-mbumbulu ukuze ziyenze ibonakale ivusa amadlingozi kakhudlwana. Futhi ekuzilibaziseni iqiniso lihlaselwa kakhulu. Izindinganiso namaqiniso okuziphatha lawo abazali bethu nawokhokho ababephila ngawo abhekwa kabanzi njengayisidala futhi ahlekwa usulu ngokuqondile.

Yiqiniso, abanye bangase baphikise ngokuthi okuningi kwalokhu kuzinqumela kubonisa ukuba nengqondo evulekile futhi ngaleyo ndlela kunethonya elihle emphakathini wabantu. Nokho, ingabe kunalo ngempela? Futhi kuthiwani ngethonya lakho kuwe? Ingabe uyakukholelwa ukuthi iqiniso liyindaba yokuzinqumela noma alikho? Uma kunjalo, ukulifuna kungabonakala kuwukuchitha isikhathi. Umbono onjalo uyolithinta ikusasa lakho.

[Umbhalo waphansi]