Kungani Sidinga Ithemba?

KWAKUYOKWENZEKANI ukube uDaniel, umfana owayenomdlavuza ochazwe esethulweni sesihloko esandulele, wayebambelele ethembeni ayenalo? Ingabe wayeyolulama emdlavuzeni? Ukube walilondoloza ithemba, ngabe usaphila yini namuhla? Ngisho nabantu abakusekela ngempela ukuba nethemba cishe bebengeke basho kanjalo. Leli yiphuzu elibalulekile. Akufanele seqise uma sikhuluma ngamandla ethemba. Aliyena uzifozonke.

Lapho exoxa ne-CBS News, uDkt. Nathan Cherney waxwayisa ngezingozi zokweqisa amandla ethemba lapho kusetshenzelwana nabantu ababangwa nezibi: “Siye sabona amadoda ethethisa omkawo ethi abazindli ngokwanele, ethi imicabango yabo ayigxilile ngokwanele ekululameni.” UDkt. Cherney wanezela: “Ukucabanga ngale ndlela kwenza abantu ngephutha bacabanga ukuthi bangasilawula isimo, futhi uma behluleka, kuba sengathi abakwazanga ukulawula isimila abanaso ngendlela efanele, kodwa lowo mbono awumuhle neze.”

Iqiniso liwukuthi labo abagulela ukufa babhekene nempi enzima, ekhandlayo. Ukubenza bazizwe benecala kanti kakade bathwele kanzima ngokuqinisekile kuyinto abathandekayo abangeke nanini bafune ukuyenza. Khona-ke, ingabe kufanele siphethe ngokuthi ithemba alisizi ngalutho?

Lutho neze. Ngokwesibonelo, yena lo dokotela unguchwepheshe wendlela yokwelapha engagxili ekulweni ngokuqondile nesifo noma ekunwebeni isikhathi sokuphila, kodwa ekwenzeni ogulayo anethezeke futhi ajabule uma nje esaphila. Lab’ odokotela bakholelwa ngokuqinile ekubalulekeni kwezindlela zokwelapha ezenza umuntu abe nesimo sengqondo senjabulo, ngisho nalapho ebangwa nezibi. Kunobufakazi obukhulu bokuthi ithemba lingakwenza lokho—ngisho nangaphezulu.

Ukubaluleka Kwethemba

“Ithemba liyikhambi elinamandla,” kusho intatheli yezokwelapha uDkt. W. Gifford-Jones. Yabukeza imiphumela yocwaningo oluhlukahlukene olwenziwa ukuze kutholwe ukuthi kubaluleke kangakanani ukubasekela ngokomzwelo abagulela ukufa. Kucatshangwa ukuthi ukusekela okunjalo kusiza abantu balondoloze umbono wethemba futhi owakhayo. Ucwaningo oluthile lwango-1989 lwathola ukuthi abantu abagulayo ababesekelwa ngale ndlela babephila isikhathi esijana, kanti ucwaningo lwamuva nje aluyiqinisekisi leyo ndaba. Nokho, ucwaningo luye lwaqinisekisa ukuthi  abantu abagulayo abasekelwayo ngokomzwelo baba nokucindezeleka nezinhlungu okuncane kunalabo abangakutholi lokho kusekelwa.

Cabangela olunye ucwaningo olwalugxile endimeni efezwa ukuba nethemba lokuhle kanye nokulindela okubi kwabaphethwe yisifo semithambo yenhliziyo. Kwahlolisiswa iqembu lamadoda angaphezu kuka-1 300 ukuze kutholakale ukuthi ayenawo yini umbono wethemba lokuhle noma cha ngokuphila. Ukulandelela ngemva kweminyaka eyishumi kwathola ukuthi amaphesenti angaphezu kwangu-12 alawo madoda ayebe nohlobo oluthile lwesifo semithambo yenhliziyo. Phakathi kwawo, lawo ayelindele okubi kuphela ayephindwe cishe kabili kunalawo ayenethemba lokuhle. ULaura Kubzansky, uprofesa oyisekela lezempilo nokuziphatha komphakathi eHarvard School of Public Health, uthi: “Bekulokhu kungenabufakazi obuphathekayo obusekela umqondo wokuthi ‘ukucabanga ngendlela eyakhayo’ kuyilungele impilo yakho—lolu cwaningo lunikeza ubufakazi bezokwelapha bokuqala obuyiqiniso obuwusekelayo lo mbono uma kuziwa esifweni semithambo yenhliziyo.”

Olunye ucwaningo luye lwathola ukuthi labo abazibheka njengabanempilo ebuthaka empeleni abalulami ngokushesha ngemva kokuhlinzwa uma beqhathaniswa nalabo abathi bayimiqemane. Kuye kwatholakala nokuthi ukuba nethemba lokuhle kuhlobene nanokuphila isikhathi eside. Ucwaningo oluthile lwahlola nokuthi ukuba nemibono eyakhayo noma ephambene ngokuguga kwakubathinta kanjani abantu asebekhulile. Lapho abantu asebekhulile befunda imiyalezo emifushane ethi umuntu osekhulile unokuhlakanipha nokuhlangenwe nakho okuthe xaxa, kamuva kwatholakala ukuthi babehamba ngomdlandla nangamandla. Empeleni, le ntuthuko yayinomphumela ofana nokuzivivinya umzimba amasonto angu-12!

Kungani imizwelo enjengokuba nethemba, ukulindela okuhle nokuba nombono owakhayo ibonakala izuzisa empilweni? Mhlawumbe ososayensi nodokotela abakayiqondi kahle ingqondo nomzimba womuntu ukuba banganikeza izimpendulo eziwujuqu. Noma kunjalo, ulwazi ochwepheshe abahlolisisa le ndaba asebenalo lungabenza bakwazi ukuqagela. Ngokwesibonelo, uprofesa othile wesayensi yezinzwa uthi: “Kumnandi ukuba nenjabulo nethemba. Kuyisimo esijabulisayo esinciphisa ukucindezeleka, futhi umzimba uyancibilika ngaphansi kwalezo zimo. Lokhu kungenye yezinto abantu abangazenzela zona ukuze bazame ukuhlala bephilile.”

Lo mbono ungase uzwakale uyingqayizivele kodokotela abathile, izazi zengqondo  nososayensi, kodwa awumusha neze kubafundi beBhayibheli. Eminyakeni engaba ngu-3 000 edlule, inkosi ehlakaniphile uSolomoni yaphefumulelwa ukuba ibhale lo mbono: “Inhliziyo ejabulayo ingumuthi omuhle, kodwa umoya omunyu womisa amathambo.” (IzAga 17:22) Qaphela ukulinganisela okuvezwa lapha. Leli vesi alisho ukuthi inhliziyo ejabulayo ingelapha konke ukugula kodwa limane nje lithi “ingumuthi omuhle.”

Empeleni, kunengqondo ukubuza, Ukube ithemba beliwumuthi, imuphi udokotela obengeke alinikeze iziguli zakhe? Ngaphezu kwalokho, ithemba linezinzuzo ezidlulela ngalé kwezempilo.

Ukuba Nethemba, Ukuntuleka Kwalo, Nokuphila Kwakho

Abacwaningi baye bathola ukuthi abantu abanethemba lokuhle bazuza ngezindlela eziningi ngokuba nombono oqondile. Bavame ukuqhuba kahle esikoleni, emsebenzini, ngisho nakwezemidlalo. Ngokwesibonelo, kwenziwa ucwaningo eqenjini labesifazane abangabagijimi. Abaqeqeshi bawahlaziya ngokucophelela amakhono angempela okugijima alaba besifazane. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, kwaxoxwa nabo laba besifazane, kwahlaziywa nezinga labo lethemba. Imiphumela yabonisa ukuthi izinga lethemba lalaba besifazane laliyindlela enembe kakhudlwana yokubona ikhono labo kunazo zonke izibalo ezatholwa abaqeqeshi babo. Yini eyenza ithemba libe nethonya elinamandla kangaka?

Kuningi okuye kwafundwa ngokuhlola imiphumela yokungabi nathemba lokuhle—okuyisimo esiphambene nokuba nethemba lokuhle. Ngawo-1960, ucwaningo lwembula imiphumela eyayingalindelekile mayelana nokuziphatha kwezilwane, okwaholela abacwaningi ekuqambeni inkulumo ethi “ukuphelelwa yithemba okufundwayo.” Bathola ukuthi abantu nabo bangaba naso lesi sifo. Ngokwesibonelo, abantu abahlolwa bazwiswa umsindo omkhulu batshelwa ukuthi babengafunda ukuwuthulisa ngokucindezela izinkinobho ezithile. Baphumelela ekuthuliseni lowo msindo.

Iqembu lesibili latshelwa okufanayo—kodwa ukucindezela izinkinobho akuzange kusize. Njengoba ungase ucabange, abaningi kulelo qembu lesibili baqala ukuphelelwa ithemba. Ekuhloleni okwenziwa kamuva, babenqikaza ngisho nokuthatha isinyathelo. Babeqiniseka ngokuthi akukho ababengakwenza okwakuyokwenza umehluko. Nokho, ngisho nakulelo qembu lesibili, ababenethemba lokuhle benqaba ukusivumela leso simo sengqondo sokuphelelwa ithemba.

UDkt. Martin Seligman, owasiza ekusunguleni olunye lwalolo cwaningo lokuqala, washukumiseleka ukuba achithe isikhathi sakhe ecwaninga ngokuba nethemba lokuhle kanye nokulindela okubi. Wagxila endleleni yokucabanga yabantu ababethambekele ekuzibhekeni njengabangenalusizo. Waphetha ngokuthi ukucabanga okunjalo kokulindela okubi kuthiya abantu ekwenzeni izinto eziningi ekuphileni noma kubathiye ngisho nasekuthatheni isinyathelo. USeligman ufingqa ukucabanga okungenathemba nemiphumela yako ngale ndlela: “Ucwaningo lweminyaka engu-25 lungibonise ukuthi uma njengomuntu olindela okubi njalo, sinomkhuba wokukholelwa ukuthi sivelelwa yishwa ngenxa yephutha lethu, ukuthi liyohlala lisengamele njalo futhi liphazamise konke esikwenzayo, siyokwehlelwa yishwa kakhulu kunalokho obekungenzeka ukube besikholelwa kokuhlukile.”

Nalapha futhi, iziphetho ezinjalo zingase zizwakale zizintsha kwabathile namuhla, kodwa abafundi beBhayibheli abazeshwami. Phawula lesi saga: “Ingabe uzibonise udangele ngosuku losizi? Amandla akho ayoba mancane.” (IzAga 24:10) Yebo, iBhayibheli lichaza ngokucacile ukuthi ukudumazeka, okunemicabango ephambene, kuyokuphuca amandla okwenza noma yini. Kodwa-ke, yini ongayenza ukuze ulwe nombono wokulindela okubi njalo futhi wenze ukuphila kwakho kube nethemba lokuhle?

[Isithombe ekhasini 12, 13]

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