Ingwe—Ikati Elinezimfihlo
NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! EKENYA
ILANGA lase liya ngomutsha wendoda. Sasichithe usuku lwethu sibuka futhi sithwebula izilwane zasendle ezinhle eMasai Mara Game Reserve eKenya. Ngaphambi kokuba siphumule kusihlwa endaweni yokuhlala enamatende, sasisazobona omunye umbukwane ovusa amadlingozi. Konke kwase kumi ngomumo lapho esinye sezisebenzi zakulendawo seqa ibhuloho lezintambo elinqamula uMfula iTalek, sithwele umlenze wembuzi ehlombe. Sabophela lenyama ebhaxeni elihlukene lesihlahla somunga esiphakeme.
Njengoba imibalabala yokushona kwelanga isitshekelwa ubumnyama, ingwe enkulu yeduna yacaca isihlahla buthule futhi yaqala ukudwengula lenyama. Yayikhanyiswe izibani ezinkulu ezisendaweni yokubuka. Nokho, izimisele ukujabulela isidlo sayo, lengwe yasishaya indiva njengoba sibuka ngokwesaba nangokumangala. Kamuva satshelwa ukuthi ukuvakashela kwayo kulesisihlahla esinokudla kwakuwumkhuba wansuku zonke ebusuku, umkhuba ebinawo iminyaka eyisithupha. Ngakho ngobusuku obulandelayo sajabulela ukubona isenzakalo esifanayo!
Saqonda ngempela ukuthi kungani ingwe ichazwa ngokuthi “ikati elibabazeka kunawo wonke amakati amakhulu, elihle futhi elinyathela ngobunono.” Njengoba inesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-60 noma ngaphezulu, ingwe ingesinye sezilwane ezinemisipha enamandla kakhulu, esinesilinganiso sobude obungamasentimitha angu-60 emahlombe nobude obungamamitha amabili ukusuka ekhaleni kuya emsileni. Lapho sibheka amabala amnyama agqamile asemzimbeni wayo onsundu, sikhumbula umbuzo owake wabuzwa umprofethi uJeremiya: “UmKushe angasiguqula isikhumba sakhe, nengwe amabala ayo, na?”—Jeremiya 13:23.
Okuhlaba umxhwele kakhulu amehlo ayo aluhlaza akhanyayo. Anongqimba olukhethekile lwamangqamuzana—i-tapetum—oluyenza ibone ngokungavamile ebusuku. Ingwe ingabona ngokukhanya okuyingxenye yesithupha yokukhanya okudingwa amehlo omuntu. Lolungqimba lwamangqamuzana, olubuyisa ukukhanya kuyi-retina, lwenza amehlo ayo abe nokucwebezela okubonakala lapho ekhanyiswa ukukhanya ebusuku.
Uma ubungabona ingwe iziphumulele emini, ubuyoqaphela ukuthi ihefuzela njengokungathi ikhandlekile. Nokho, ukuhefuzela kwayo kuyingxenye yesimiso esihle sokuzipholisa. Ngokuhefuzela izikhathi ezingaba ngu-150 ngomzuzu, umswakama ungahwamuka olimini lwayo, emlonyeni, nasemankankeni.
Njengamakati amakhulu akwazi ukuzivumelanisa nezimo, izingwe zingatholakala ezingwadule nasemahlathini; ezintabeni nangasolwandle; emazweni ahlukene njengaseChina, eNdiya, naseKenya. Naphezu kokonakalisa komuntu indawo enkulu yengwe, ososayensi balinganisela ukuthi kukhona ezingaba isigidi e-Afrika nase-Asia kuphela. Nakuba kunjalo, sekungamakhulu eminyaka ingwe isinda ekuhloleni kwesayensi okungathi sína. Ngokwesibonelo, cabangela ingwe yaseSinayi. Kuze kube yilapho itholwa futhi muva nje ehlane laseJudiya, kwase kuyisikhathi eside leyongwe kucatshangwa ukuthi iqothuliwe!
Ikati Elizihlukanisayo
Ingwe iwagwema kanjani amehlo abantu? Ngokuyinhloko ikwenza ngokuba yisilwane sasebusuku—esinyonyobayo nesizifihla kakhulu. Ezindaweni lapho umuntu ewusongo khona, ingwe ihlala iqaphile. Kulapho ithukuthele khona kuphela lapho ibhonga ngokusongela njengengonyama. Ngaphansi kwezimo ezivamile, ukubhonga kwayo akwethusi kakhulu: umsindo oyisihosho ocunulayo—njengomsindo wesaha elisika ukhuni. Ngokwencwadi ethi Animals of East Africa, kaC. T. Astley Maberly, izwakala sengathi ithi “Grunt-ha! Grunt-ha! Grunt-ha! Grunt-ha!—ngokuvamile iqedela ngomsindo ohlabayo.” Ngokuvumelana nokuthanda kwayo ukuzifihla, ingwe ibhonga futhi ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene ezinomsindo ophansi, omningi wawo ongezwakali kubantu.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngokungafani nengonyama ethanda ubudlelwane, ingwe ayilona ikati elinobungane. Nakuba imibhangqwana ibonakala ngezinye izikhathi, izingwe zizingela zingazodwa. Ukuze igweme ukungqubuzana okungalindelekile noma okuyingozi, ingwe ibeka imingcele yendawo yayo engase ihlanganise amakhilomitha-skwele angu-25 kuya kwangu-65. Ichela uketshezi lwezindlala ezikhethekile ukuze iphawule imingcele yendawo egcina kuyo. Loluphawu lwephunga lungase lutshele ezinye izingwe ngobulili, ubudala, ngisho cishe nokuthi ubani “umnikazi wendawo.”
Ingwe izingela ngokunyenyela kwayo okuhlukile. Ezikhathini zeBhayibheli yayaziwa ngokulinda eduze nemizana, ilungele ukubhozomela izilwane ezifuywayo. (Jeremiya 5:6; Hoseya 13:7; Habakuki 1:8) Ukuze ivikele impango yayo kubahlaseli, njengezimpisi nezimpungushe, igcina izinyamazane ezinkulu ezibulele ebhaxeni lesihlahla esiphakeme ngamamitha angu-9 kuya kwangu-12. Kodwa ikwazi kanjani ukudonsela umzimba wenyamazane noma umntwana wendlulamithi onobude obuyimitha nengxenye endaweni ephakeme kanjalo? Lena akuyona imfihlo ingwe eyiveza kalula. Kodwa izingqapheli ezinesineke zithi ikwenza ngamandla amakhulu angokomzimba. Izingwe zithanda ukudla zikhululekile, zilenga phezu kwamagatsha ezihlahla, futhi zifihleke ngokuphelele, zisithwe amagatsha nohlaza.
Lapho ingabekelwa nselele, ingwe ivamé ukuba namahloni ihoxe futhi iyokugwema ukungqubuzana nomuntu. Ngakho nakuba ezinye izingwe zingasabesabi abantu futhi zibadla, eziningi azilona usongo kubo. Nokho, uma ilinyaziwe noma ivinjezelwe, ingwe ibonisa ukungasisabi neze isitha sayo. “Ingwe ethukuthele,” kubhala uJonathan Scott kwethi The Leopard’s Tale, “iyikho kanye ukubonakaliswa kolaka, . . . ikwazi ukugxilisa wonke amandla ayo amakhulu ekugaseleni okunamandla ngesivinini esikhulu.”
Omama Abayizingwe
Khona-ke, akumangalisi ukuthi izingwe ziphinde zikhulise amawundlu azo ekusithekeni okukhulu. Amawundlu asanda kuzalwa ayafihlwa, ngokuvamile emhumeni, izinyanga zokuqala ezimbili zokuphila. Nakuba uyise engahlanganyeli ekukhuliseni lamawundlu, umama usondelana kakhulu nawo ngokuwondla nokuwageza nokuwagcina efudumele. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, umama angase athuthele umhlambi wakhe wamawundlu amabili noma amathathu ekhaya elisha, ewafukula ngomlomo uma esemancane noma amane awabize amlandele uma esethé ukukhulakhula.
Umama oyingwe uzama nokugcina amawundlu akhe engabonwa izitha, njengezimfene. Kodwa uma izimfene zihlasela amawundlu akhe, uyozixosha, ezifaka engozini ukuze anikeze amawundlu akhe ithuba lokubaleka. Uzifaka nasengozini enkulu ukuze ondle amawundlu akhe. Lelikati elihoxayo ngokuvamile lidlula emhlanjini wezindlovu ezikhonyayo ukuze lilethe inyama kubantwana balo abalambile.
Ngokuthakazelisayo, izingwe ezincane aziwubonisi umoya wokuzibusa okwesikhathi esithile. Amawundlu alunyulwa lapho enezinyanga cishe eziyisithupha kodwa awazibambeli inyamazane aze abe nonyaka owodwa ubudala. Amaduna awazihlukanisi lapho esekhulile kuze kube yilapho eneminyaka engaba mibili nengxenye ubudala. Amawundlu ezinsikazi angase aqhubeke ehlala nonina lapho esekhulile.
Ingwe—Ihlala Ngokuthula Ekugcineni?
Kodwa lawomawundlwana athandekayo akhula abe ababulali. Ngakho kungase kubonakale kunzima ukukholelwa ukuthi amazwi omprofethi u-Isaya angagcwaliseka: “Impisi iyakuhlala newundlu, ingwe ibuthise ndawonye nezinyane lembuzi.”—Isaya 11:6.
Imizamo yamuva nje yokufuya izingwe ibe nempumelelo encane kakhulu. USieuwke Bisleti van der Laan nomyeni wakhe bafuya umhlambi wamawundlu epulazini labo e-Afrika. Lamawundlu ayejabulela “inkululeko ephelele” futhi ngokuvamile ayefunzwa. Kodwa awazange afuywe ngokuphelele. USieuwke Bisleti uyabhala: “Lapho ingwe isikhulile, izithathela indlela yayo. Ingonyama iyohlale ikuthanda futhi ikulalela; ingwe iyohlale ikwazi kodwa izinqumele ukuthi iyosabela kanjani nganoma isiphi isikhathi.”
Ekugcineni kwabhekwa njengokuyingozi ukuvumela lamawundlu asekhulile ukuba aqhubeke ezula ngokukhululekile epulazini. Kwathathwa isinqumo sokuwabuyisela endle. Ingabe ukukhuliselwa phakathi kwabantu abanobungane kwawashintsha lamawundlu ezingwe? Lutho neze. Ngemva kwezinsuku ezintathu ekhululiwe, eyeduna yabonwa ihleli eceleni kwephiva eyayilibulele.
Nakuba kunjalo, ukwehluleka okunjalo ukufuya izingwe akusenzi sibe yize isiprofetho esiphefumlelwe sika-Isaya sokuthula phakathi kwengwe nembuzi. Lesisenzakalo esibabazekayo siyokwenzeka, hhayi ngemizamo yabantu, kodwa ngokungenela kwaphezulu. Nokho, ukubusa kukaNkulunkulu kuyokwenza okungaphezu kokuletha ukuthula ezilwaneni. U-Isaya wabikezela: “Umhlaba uyakugcwala ukumazi uJehova.” (Isaya 11:1-9) Ngisho nabantu bayobe sebelahla ukuziphatha kobulwane okuye kwaletha impi nokuhlukana. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, isimo sengqondo sesintu ngezilwane naso siyoshintsha. Azisekho izilwane eziyoba izisulu zokubulawa ngesihluku. Futhi umuntu ngeke esonakalisa indawo yazo noma asongele ukuphila kwazo, ngoba uJehova uyobe ‘esebachithile labo abachitha umhlaba.’—IsAmbulo 11:18.