Ukufuna Ukuphila Isikhathi Eside

UKUFUNA ukuphila isikhathi eside cishe kudala njengokuphila ngokwakho. Ngakho akumangalisi ukuthi umlando, kokubili wakudala nowanamuhla, ugcwele izindaba nezinganekwane zabantu befuna imfihlo yokuphila isikhathi eside.

Ngokwesibonelo, umlando ocatshangelwayo usenza sikholelwe ukuthi umhloli wamazwe waseSpain uJuan Ponce de León wayefuna umthombo wobusha lapho elibhekise enyakatho esuka ePuerto Rico ngonyaka ka-1513. Kodwa ababephila ngesikhathi sakhe baphawula ukuthi wathatha loluhambo ukuze athole izigqila nezwe elisha. Akatholanga umthombo wokubuyisela ubusha, kodwa wathola lokho manje okubizwa ngokuthi iFlorida. Nokho, lenganekwane isaphikelela.

Uma sihlehlela emuva kakhulu, inkondlo yesiAkkad kaGilgamesh, eyaqoshwa ezibhebheni zobumba eyabhalwa ngaphambi kwekhulu le-18 leminyaka B.C.E., isitshela ngendlela uGilgamesh agcwala ngayo umuzwa wokwesaba ukufa ngemva kokufa komngane wakhe uEnkidu. Ichaza uhambo lwakhe nemizamo yakhe yokuzikhandla kodwa engabanga nazithelo yokufinyelela ukungafi.

Muva kakhulu ngo-1933, encwadini yakhe ethi Lost Horizon, uJames Hilton wafanekisa izwe elicatshangelwayo okuthiwa iShangri-la. Izakhamuzi lapho zazijabulela cishe ukuphila okuphelele nokude kakhulu endaweni enjengepharadesi.

Ngisho nanamuhla, kunalabo abazinikezele ekuphishekeleni izinqubo ezingavamile nezimangalisayo kakhulu ezithembisa ukuphila okuthuthukisiwe nokuhlala isikhathi eside. Nokho, abanye bathatha izinyathelo ezisebenza ngokwengeziwe. Balandela izinyathelo ezingokwempilo zokuzikhandla kanzima noma balandele izinqubo eziqinile zokudla uhlobo oluthile lokudla nezokuvivinya umzimba. Banethemba lokuthi lokhu kuyobasiza ukuba babonakale bebasha futhi bazizwe bengcono.

Konke lokhu kugcizelela isifiso esiyinhloko somuntu sokuphila ukuphila okude nokujabulisayo.

Inqubo Engokwesayensi

Ukuhlolwa kokuguga kanye nezinkinga eziphathelene nasebekhulile kuye kwaba isayensi engathi sína. Izazi zesayensi eziphambili zinomuzwa wokuthi seziseduze nokuthola imbangela yokuguga. Ezinye zicabanga ukuthi ukuguga kuklanywe emangqamuzaneni ofuzo. Ezinye zinomuzwa wokuthi kuwumphumela onqwabelene wezifo ezilimazayo nemikhiqizo eyingozi yokugaywa kokudla. Futhi ezinye zihlanganisa ukuguga namahormone noma isimiso sokuzivikela komzimba. Izazi zesayensi zinomuzwa wokuthi uma imbangela yokuguga ingase itholakale, khona-ke mhlawumbe ingase isuswe ngokuphelele.

Ekuphishekeleni ukungafi, kuya kuba nzima ngokwengeziwe ukuhlukanisa umngcele phakathi kwesayensi nesayensi ecatshangelwayo. Ukwenziwa kweclone kungesinye isibonelo esinjalo. Umqondo uwukuba kwenziwe iclone, noma kukhiqizwe ngobuchwepheshe umzimba womuntu ofanayo ngokwenziwa kwamangqamuzana namangqamuzana ofuzo. Khona-ke, njengoba izingxenye zomzimba zingenwa yizifo noma zehluleka ukusebenza, isitho esisha singathathwa kuyiclone futhi sifakwe, njengoba nje nengxenye ephukile emotweni ibuyiselwa ngengxenye entsha eyisipele. Ezinye izazi zesayensi zithi ngokucabangela akunasilinganiso esingabekwa ngalokho okungase kwenziwe ngeclone.

Inqubo okuthiwa icryonics yenza lokhu kukhulumela okungenhla kube okuthe xaxa. Lapho umuntu efa, kuchaza abameleli balendaba, umzimba ungase ufakwe emakhazeni ukuze ulondolozwe kuze kube yilapho ikhambi litholakala khona lalokho okungalapheki namuhla. Khona-ke umzimba ungase uncibilikiswe, uvuselelwe, futhi ubuyiselwe esimweni sawo—ngethemba lokuba uphile ukuphila okude nokujabulisayo.

Ngokubheka imizamo enjalo nokuchithwa kwezigidi zamarandi ezingenakubaleka ekucwaningeni, uye waba yini umphumela? Ingabe sesiseduze nokugqashula ejokeni lokufa kunanoma yiziphi lezozinkulungwane zezigidi zabantu ezaphila futhi zafa ngaphambi kwethu?

Ayini Amathemba?

Uma sahlulela ngezinkulumo kanye nezibikezelo ezithembisa okuhle zalabo abaye bahileleka ekucwaningeni okunjalo, kungabonakala sengathi ukuphila isikhathi eside ngaphezu kwalokho esikujwayele sekusemnyango. Nazi izibonelo ezimbalwa ezaqongelelwa kusukela ngemva kwawo-1960.

“Ulwazi esiluthola ekucwaningeni okunjalo luyosinikeza izikhali esizidingayo ukuze silwe nesitha sokugcina—Ukufa—ezisekelweni zaso. Luyosenza ukuba sifinyelele ukungafi . . . Kungase kufike esikhathini sethu.”—Alan E. Nourse, isazi sezokwelapha nomlobi.

“Sizoyinqoba ngokuphelele inkinga yokuguga, ukuze kube izingozi kuphela okuyodingeka ukuba zibe yimbangela yokufa.”—Augustus B. Kinzel, okwakuwumongameli weSalk Institute for Biological Studies.

“Ukungafi (ngomqondo wokuphila okwandiswa ngokungapheli) kuyafinyeleleka ngendlela yobuchwepheshe, hhayi kuphela ngenzalo yethu kodwa nangathi.”—Robert C. W. Ettinger kuyiProspect of Immortality.

Nakuba ngalesosikhathi kungezona zonke izazi zesayensi yokuguga nabacwaningi ababehlanganyela leyontshiseko, umqondo ovamile wochwepheshe wabonakala uwukuthi ngasekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-21 leminyaka, ukuguga kuyolawulwa futhi ukuphila kuyokwandiswa kakhulu ngokuphawulekayo.

Manje njengoba sesisondele kakhulu ekhulwini le-21 leminyaka, yini ephawulekayo? Ingabe ukuphila isikhathi eside, kungasaphathwa ukungafi, kuyafinyeleleka? Cabangela lokhu kuphawula.

“Izazi zesayensi yokuguga eziningi ziyovumelana nokuthi lezi izikhathi ezidida kakhulu ngathi. Asiyazi inqubo eyimbangela eyinhloko yokuguga, futhi asikwazi ukulinganisa isilinganiso sokuguga ngokwendlela eqondile yokusebenza kwamakhemikhali emzimbeni womuntu.”—Journal of Gerontology, September 1986.

“Akekho owazi ngokushaya emhloleni ukuthi iyini inqubo yokuguga nokuthi kungani ithatha inkambo ehlukile kubantu abahlukene. Futhi akekho nomuntu owazi indlela yokwandisa ukuphila kade komuntu, naphezu kokuzisholo okuvamile okuyinkohliso futhi ngezinye izikhathi okuyingozi kwabahwebi kanye nabanye abaqhuba ibhizinisi ‘lokwandisa ukuphila’ ekwesabeni nasezifweni zasebekhulile.”—FDA Consumer, iphephandaba elingokomthetho loMnyango Wezokudla Nezidakamizwa waseU.S., October 1988.

Izibikezelo ezenziwa esikhathini esidlule ngokuphathelene nokunqoba ukufa nokwandisa ukuphila ngokungapheli ziwukushiseka ngokweqile. Ukungafi ngesayensi kuseyiphupho elibonakala lingenakwenzeka. Ingabe lokhu kusho ukuthi kuze kube yilapho kunentuthuko enkulu kwezesayensi noma kwezobuchwepheshe, akukho lutho olungenziwa ukuze kwandiswe noma okungenani kuthuthukiswe ukuphila?

Ingabe Ukuphila Okude, Nokujabulisayo Kungenzeka Manje?

Nakuba abacwaningi bengayembulanga imfihlo yokuphila isikhathi eside, baye bafunda okuningi kakhulu ngokuphila nenqubo yokuguga. Futhi okunye kokwaziswa abaye bakuzuza kungasetshenziswa ngokwenzuzo enhle.

Ngokwesibonelo, ukuhlola okuye kwenziwa ngezilwane kuye kwembula ukuthi “ukudla okulinganiselwe kungandisa ingxenye enkulu yezikhathi zokuphila ngamaphesenti angaphezu kwangu-50 futhi kubambezele ukubonakala nokuqina kwezinkinga eziningi ezihlobene neminyaka yokukhula,” kubika iTimes yaseLondon. Lokhu kuye kwaholela ekuhloleni kokuthi isimo esifanayo singaba yiqiniso yini ngokuphathelene nabantu.

Ngokomphumela, encwadini yakhe ethi The 120-Year Diet, uDkt. Roy Walford utusa ukudla okunamacalorie aphansi, okungenamafutha, futhi okunomsoco omningi kuhambisana nenqubo enhle yokuvivinya umzimba. Ubhekisela kubantu baseOkinawa njengesibonelo. Uma kuqhathaniswa nokudla kwemvama yamaJapane, okwabo kunamacalorie angaphansi cishe ngamaphesenti angu-40; nakuba kunjalo “banenani eliphindwe kahlanu kuya ku-40 labantu abaneminyaka eyikhulu kunezinye iziqhingi zabantu baseJapane.”

Abomdabu besifunda saseCaucasus esisentshonalanga yeSoviet Union bangesinye isibonelo esicashunwa ngokuphindaphindiwe sabantu abaphila isikhathi eside. USula Benet, owayehlala phakathi kwabantu baseCaucasus, wabika encwadini yakhe ethi How to Live to Be 100 ukuthi inani eliphakeme ngokungavamile lalabobantu eliphila ukuphila okunempilo nokwenkuthalo lidlulela ngalé kweminyaka engu-100, futhi idlanzana kuthiwa liye laphila ngaphezu kweminyaka engu-140. Waphawula ukuthi “kunezici ezimbili ezingashintshi ekudleni okudliwa abantu baseCaucasus: 1. Akukho ukweqisa ekudleni . . . 2. Ukudla kakhulu amavitamin angokwemvelo atholakala emifinweni eluhlaza esanda kuvunwa.” Ngaphezu kwalokho, “umsebenzi wabo awubanikezi nje kuphela ukuzivivinya okungokomzimba kodwa futhi nolwazi lokunikela kwabo siqu okunenjongo emphakathini wabo.”

Lokho Ongakwenza

Ingabe ukufudukela eOkinawa noma eCaucasus noma kwenye indawo lapho abomdabu bejabulela khona ukuphila okude kuyikhambi? Cishe akunjalo. Kodwa kunezinye izinto ongazenza. Ungase ulingise imikhuba emihle yalabobantu abaphila isikhathi eside futhi ulandele iseluleko sodokotela abangochwepheshe, izazi zokudla okunomsoco, nezazi zempilo.

Cishe endaweni yonke zitusa ukuphila kokulinganisela. Lokhu akusho nje kuphela ukukhathalela isilinganiso sokudla okudlayo kodwa futhi ukuphaphamela ukudla ukudla okunomsoco nokunempilo ongase ukwazi ukukuthola. Imiphumela emihle yokuvivinya umzimba njalo nayo futhi yaziwa kahle kakhulu. Umzamo onengqondo wokusebenzisa lezimiso nokususa imikhuba elimazayo yomphakathi wanamuhla, njengokubhema nokusebenzisa kabi izidakamizwa nophuzo oludakayo, nakanjani kuyokwenza uzizwe kangcono.

Ngokunengqondo, lapho imizimba yethu siyiphatha kangcono, kuyilapho siyoba nempilo ngokwengeziwe. Futhi lapho sinempilo ngokwengeziwe, kuyilapho amathuba ethu okuphila isikhathi eside eba ngcono ngokwengeziwe. Nokho, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi senzani, isilinganiso sokuphila sihlala ngokweBhayibheli siyiminyaka engu-70 noma engu-80. (IHubo 90:10) Ingabe likhona ithemba lokuthi isilinganiso seminyaka yokuphila siyoke sandiswe, futhi uma kunjalo, siyokwandiswa isikhathi esingakanani?

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 5]

UMDALA KANGAKANANI?

Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi uyakuqaphela noma awukuqapheli, umdala kakhulu kunalokho ongase ukucabange. Isayensi yezinto eziphilayo isitshela ukuthi ngesikhathi sokuzalwa, kakade izizalo zabantu besifazane zisuke sezinezimbewu, noma amaqanda, eziyowakhiqiza. Lokhu kusho ukuthi uma umama wakho ayeneminyaka engu-30 ngesikhathi sokuzalwa kwakho, iqanda elaba nguwe ekugcineni lase kakade lineminyaka engu-30 ubudala.

Cishe lokhu akukwenzi uzizwe umdala, kodwa usuku nosuku, uya uba-mdala. Sibadala noma sibasha, sonke siyaguga, futhi sonke sinesithakazelo sokwehlisa ijubane laleyonqubo—uma kungekhona ngempela ukuyimisa.