Ngawo-1920s no-1930, noma ngubani owayengunoma ngubani wazama ukuthola ukuthi angayisusa kanjani impi emhlabeni. Ngokubambisana, ngingathi bathole amakota amathathu endlela yokuphendula. Kepha kusuka ngo-1945 kuya ku-2014, abanakiwe uma kungenzeka (okuyisikhathi esiningi), bahlekwa lapho kunesidingo, futhi ngezikhathi ezingavamile kakhulu ezidinga lokho: bahlaselwa.
Yeka ukuthi umhlambi weziphukuphuku ongqondongqondo abahola phambili besizukulwane kumele ngabe babeyini. IMpi Yezwe II yenzeka. Ngakho-ke, impi ingunaphakade. Wonke umuntu uyakwazi lokho.
Kepha abaqeda izigqila baqhubekela phambili yize ubugqila benzeka komunye unyaka, nakomunye unyaka. Abesifazane bafuna ilungelo lokuvota emjikelezweni olandelayo wokhetho belandela ngamunye abavinjelwe kuwo. Akungabazeki ukuthi impi inzima kakhulu ukuqeda, ngoba ohulumeni bathi bonke abanye ohulumeni (kanye nabanye abenzi bempi) kumele bahambe kuqala noma bakwenze ngasikhathi sinye. Ithuba lokuthi omunye umuntu aqale impi, kuhlanganiswe nombono ongamanga wokuthi impi iyindlela engcono yokuzivikela empini, idala umugqa obonakala unomphela umhlaba ongeke uvele kuwo.
Kodwa kunzima ilula kakhulu kakhulu kungenzeki. Impi kuzofanela iqedwe ngomkhuba ocophelelayo futhi oqhubeka kancane; kuzodinga ukuhlanzwa inkohlakalo kahulumeni ngabazuzi bezimpi; kuzoholela ezweni elihluke kakhulu cishe kuzo zonke izindlela: ngokwezomnotho, ngamasiko, ngokokuziphatha. Kepha impi ngeke isuswe nhlobo uma ukuzindla kwababhubhisi kungcwatshwa kungafundwa.
Cabanga nje uma izingane, lapho zizobe sezimdala kakhulu ukuthi zingaphumelela uWinnie the Pooh futhi sesikhule ngokwanele ukuthi sifunde izimpikiswano ezibucayi, zatshelwa ukuthi u-AA Milne naye wabhala incwadi ngo-1933-1934 Ukuthula Nenhlonipho. Ngubani ongafuni ukwazi ukuthi umdali kaWinnie the Pooh ucabangani ngempi nokuthula? Futhi ngubani ongeke ajabule ukuthola ubuhlakani bakhe nokuhlekisa kwakhe kusetshenziswe ngokungathi sína ecaleni lokuqeda ibhizinisi elibi kakhulu ukuze lihlale lamukeleka ngokuphelele emphakathini ohloniphekile?
Manje, uMilne wayesebenze njengomsabalalisi wezimpi futhi eyisosha eMpini Yezwe I, umbono wakhe we-1934 ngeJalimane njengongafuni ngempela impi ubukeka (okungenani uma uthi nhlá) uyindida uma ubheka emuva, kanti uMilne uqobo washiya ukuphikisana kwakhe nempi ukuze ajabule ngeMpi Yesibili Yomhlaba. Ngakho-ke singalahla ukuhlakanipha kwakhe njengobuzenzisi, i-naiveté, futhi njengokwaliwa ngumbhali. Kepha besizincisha ukuqonda ngoba umbhali ubengaphelele, futhi ngabe sibeka phambili ukugcwala kwesidakwa ngezitatimende ezenziwe ngesikhathi sokuzola. Ngisho nodokotela ofanele we-war fever angazwakala njengendoda ehlukile uma esethole lesi sifo uqobo.
In Ukuthula Nenhlonipho, UMilne ukhombisa ukuthi ulalele izinkulumo zabagqugquzeli bezimpi futhi wathola ukuthi “udumo” abalulwelayo empeleni ludumo (noma lokho okusanda kubizwa e-United States, “ukwethembeka”). Njengoba uMilne ekubeka:
“Uma isizwe sikhuluma ngokuhlonishwa kwaso, kusho udumo lwaso. Ukuvelela kukazwelonke kuyidumela lentando yempi. Ukuhlonishwa kwesizwe-ke kulinganiswa nokuzimisela kwesizwe ukusebenzisa amandla ukugcina isithunzi saso njengomuntu osebenzisa amandla. Uma umuntu engacabanga ngomdlalo we-tiddleywinks ocabanga ukuthi ubaluleke kakhulu emehlweni ombuso, futhi uma umuntu othile ongenacala engabuza kungani ama-tiddleywinks abaluleke kakhulu kwabaseYurophu, impendulo bekungukuthi kuphela ngamakhono e-tiddleywinks lapho izwe lingagcina khona idumela lalo njengezwe elinamakhono e-tiddleywinks. Iyiphi impendulo engahle ihlekise isihluku esinje. ”
UMilne uphikisana nezingxabano ezithandwayo zempi futhi ubuyela ngokuphindaphindiwe ukuhleka usulu njengendlela yokuzikhethela kwezenzo zobuwula ezigqoke njengoba kudingeka noma ezingenakugwema. Kungani, ebuza, amasonto angamaKristu ayala ukubulawa kwabantu abaningi ngokubhubhisa kwamadoda, abesifazane nabantwana? Ingabe bayakugwema ukuguqulwa kwamasonto ku-Islam uma kwakudingeka ukuvikela izwe labo? Cha. Bangeke yini bavume ukuphinga okubanzi uma ukukhula komphakathi kwakuwukuphela kwendlela yokuvikela izwe labo? Cha. Pho kungani bavuma ukubulala abantu abaningi?
UMilne uzama ukuzama ukucabanga ukukhombisa ukuthi izimpi ziyakhethwa futhi zikhethwe ngabantu abangakhetha okunye. Ake sithi, ukugqashuka kwempi kuzosho ukufa okuqondile nokushesha kukaMussolini, uHitler, uGoering, uGoebbels, uRamsay MacDonald, uStanley Baldwin, uSir John Simon, ungqongqoshe wekhabhinethi ongaziwa ogama lakhe likhethwe ngenkatho ngosuku lwempi kumenyezelwe, ongqongqoshe ababhekele ezempi, uWinston Churchill, oJenene ababili abangagagulwanga ngamagama, ama-Admirals amabili angaziwa, abaqondisi ababili abangashiwongo ngamagama amafemu ezikhali akhethwe ngenkatho, Lords Beaverbrook noRothermere, abahleli The Times futhi I-Morning Post, kanye nabamele abaseFrance abahambelana nabo. Ngabe ikhona, kulesi simo, engaze ibe khona impi? UMilne uthi akunjalo neze. Futhi ngakho-ke bekungekhona “okwemvelo” noma “okungenakugwemeka” nakancane.
UMilne wenza icala elifanayo phakathi kwemibuthano nemithetho yezempi:
"Ngokushesha nje lapho siqala ukushaya imithetho yempi, lapho nje sithi le yimpi esemthethweni futhi enye akuyona leyo, sivuma ukuthi impi iyindlela nje okuvunyelwene ngayo yokuxazulula impikiswano."
Kepha, uMilne ubhala - eveza ngokunembile umlando we-1945 kuya ku-2014 womhlaba ophethwe yi-UN ne-NATO - awukwazi ukwenza umthetho olwa nempi enolaka futhi ugcine impi yokuzivikela. Ngeke kusebenze. Kuyazishaya. Impi izoqhubeka ngaphansi kwezimo ezinjalo, uMilne ubikezela - futhi siyazi ukuthi wayeqinisile. “Ukulahla ubudlova akwanele,” kubhala uMilne. "Kumele sikulahle nokuvikela."
Yini esiyifaka esikhundleni sayo? UMilne ukhombisa umhlaba wokuxazululwa kwezingxabano ezingenabudlova, ukulamula, kanye nomqondo oshintshiwe wenhlonipho noma udumo oluthola impi ihlazisa kunokuba ihlonishwe. Futhi hhayi nje okuyihlazo, kodwa ukuhlanya. Ucaphuna umsekeli wempi ethi, “Okwamanje, okungahle kube wusuku olwandulela enye i-Armagedoni, asikakulungeli.” Kubuza uMilne: “Yimaphi kulawa maqiniso amabili [i-Armagedoni noma ukungazilungiselele] ebaluleke kakhulu empucukweni?”
