“Ukube iminyango yokuqonda ibihlanzwa,” kubhala uWilliam Blake, “konke bekuyobonakala kumuntu njengoba kuyikho, akupheli.” Kodwa siyizidalwa ezinomkhawulo, ngesikhathi nasemkhathini, futhi kunomkhawulo wokuthi kungakanani okungokoqobo esingakuthwala – ukuziphendukela kwemvelo kwasinika ukwazi ukuze sikwazi ukuhlunga okunamandla kokungapheli, sikuhlomele ukunaka ukuze sinciphise indawo yokubona ukuze sithathe kuphela lokho okubalulekile kithi kusukela ku-vista enkulu yamanje. Into emangazayo ukuthi nakuba sonke sinamathuluzi okuqonda afanayo, mina nawe singakwazi ukuhamba ndawonye endaweni eyodwa futhi sibone izithombe ezingokoqobo ezihluke ngokuphelele, ngoba okubalulekile kithina ngamunye kuyingxenye yokwazi ngamunye wethu – umsebenzi wokuthi singobani nokuthi sifunani, yenani eliphelele lamaphoyinti okubhekisela okuwukuhlangenwe nakho kwethu okuphilayo, esingakwazi ukufinyelela kule ndawo. (Yilokhu okwenza ukuhlolwa komcabango weGumbi likaMariya kuphoqelele futhi kuthuse, futhi kungani okungcono kakhulu esingakwenza ukuze siqondane akuyona incazelo kodwa ukuhumusha.)
Ngakho-ke, ukubona akuwona umnyango kodwa kuyisibuko, akukona ukubala okuzenzakalelayo kwedatha yokufaka eluhlaza kodwa kuyisenzo sokudala esihlela konke esiyikho futhi kusibuyisele kithina. Mhlawumbe isici esidumaza kakhulu sokuhlala ndawonye ukuthi akekho kithi oyokwazi ukuthi omunye ubonani.
Yilokho u-Oliver Sacks (Julayi 9, 1933–Agasti 30, 2015) akuhlolayo ngesipho sakhe esisayinwe sokuhlanganisa indaba kanye nencazelo esihlokweni seqoqo lakhe lesambulo sangemva kokufa. Umfula Wokuqaphela (umtapo wolwazi womphakathi), ehlanganisa amashumi eminyaka ezokwelapha njengodokotela wezinzwa ecwaninga ukuthi ubuchopho busebenza kanjani nophenyo lwesazi sefilosofi mayelana nokuthi ingqondo iyini kanye nesipho sembongi sokuhumusha ukuthi kusho ukuthini ukuphila.
Ethathela ocwaningweni lweziguli ezinokuphazamiseka kwemizwa okungavamile kanye nezilonda zobuchopho eziziphonsa “ekumisweni” kokwazi – izifunda lapho isikhathi sibonakala siba yiqhwa kubo nakuba izehlakalo nezinqubo ziqhubeka zenzeke ngaphakathi nasezizungezile – ucabangela ubukhulu besikhashana bokwazi, okubonakala kakhulu endleleni esibona ngayo ukunyakaza – ukuguquka kwesimo sendawo ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.
Esebenzisa umsebenzi oyingqopha-mlando kaFrancis Crick kanye noChristof Koch mayelana ne-qualia – labo abathintekayo ngokuphelele nabanolwazi olujulile lwangaphakathi lokuthi kunjani ukuba nguwe – uyabhala:
Asimane sibale umnyakazo ngendlela irobhothi elingenza ngayo; thina bona yona. Sibona ukunyakaza, njengoba nje sibona umbala noma ukujula, njengokuzizwisa okukhethekile okubalulekile ekuqwashiseni nasekuqapheleni kwethu okubonakalayo. Okuthile okungaphezu kokuqonda kwethu kwenzeka ku-genesis of qualia, ukuguqulwa kokubala kwe-cerebral okunenhloso kube kokuhlangenwe nakho okuqondile. Izazi zefilosofi ziphikisana ngokungapheli mayelana nokuthi lezi zinguquko zenzeka kanjani nokuthi siyoke sikwazi yini ukuziqonda.
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Nakuba umbono wokunyakaza okuthile (ngokwesibonelo) ungase umelwe ama-neurons adubula ngezinga elithile ezindaweni ezinyakazayo ze-visual cortex, lokhu kumane kuyisiqalo senqubo enemininingwane. Ukuze ufinyelele ukwazi, lokhu kudubula kwe-neuronal, noma okunye ukumelela kwakho okuphezulu, kufanele kweqe umkhawulo othile wokuqina futhi kugcinwe ngaphezu kwakho… Ukuze lenze lokho, leli qembu lama-neurons kufanele libambe iqhaza kwezinye izingxenye zobuchopho (ngokuvamile kuma-lobes angaphambili) futhi lizihlanganise nezigidi zamanye ama-neurons ukuze akhe “umfelandawonye.”
Imifelandawonye enjalo… ingakheka futhi incibilike engxenyeni yesekhondi futhi ifake ukuxhumana okuphindaphindayo phakathi kwe-visual cortex nezinye izindawo eziningi zobuchopho. Lawa ma-neural coalitions ezingxenyeni ezihlukene zobuchopho akhuluma omunye komunye ekusebenzelaneni okuqhubekayo emuva naphambili. Ngakho umbono owodwa oqaphelayo ungase uhlanganise imisebenzi ehambisanayo nethonya ngokufanayo izinkulungwane zezigidi zamangqamuzana ezinzwa.
Okokugcina, umsebenzi womfelandawonye, noma umfelandawonye, ukuze ufinyelele ekuqapheleni, akumele weqe umkhawulo wokuqina kodwa futhi ubanjwe lapho isikhathi esithile – cishe ama-millisecond ayikhulu. Lesi isikhathi “sesikhathi sokuqonda.”
Nokho kungenxa yokuthi into engenakulinganiswa yenzeka kulawo ma-millisecond ayikhulu esiwubona umhlaba hhayi njengoba unjalo kodwa njengoba sinjalo.
Odongeni lwesine uphula umnyango we-qualia yakhe:
Njengoba ngibhala, ngihlezi endaweni yokudlela ku-Seventh Avenue, ngibuka umhlaba udlula. Ukunaka kwami nokugxila kudlulela le nale: intombazane egqoke ingubo ebomvu idlula, indoda ehamba nenja ehlekisayo, ilanga (ekugcineni!) liphuma emafini. Kodwa kuneminye imizwa ebonakala izizela yona yodwa: umsindo wemoto ehlehlayo, iphunga lentuthu kagwayi njengoba umakhelwane ovunguzayo evutha. Lezi zonke izehlakalo ezidonsa ukunaka kwami isikhashana njengoba zenzeka. Kungani, emibonweni eyinkulungwane okungenzeka ukuthi iyiyo le engiyibambayo? Ukucabanga, izinkumbulo, izinhlangano, kulele ngemuva kwakho. Ngoba ukwazi kuhlala kusebenza futhi kuyakhetha – kunemizwa nezincazelo ezihlukile ezethu, ukwazisa esikukhethayo futhi kuphambanise imibono yethu. Ngakho-ke akuyona nje i-Seventh Avenue engiyibonayo kodwa okwami I-Seventh Avenue, imakwe ngobumina nobumina.
Ukwazi lokhu kuwukuyeka ukukhohliswa kwethu okujwayelekile kokubona inhloso:
Siyazikhohlisa uma sicabanga ukuthi singake sibe izibukeli ezingenzi lutho, ezingakhethi. Yonke imibono, isigcawu ngasinye, silolongwa yithi, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi siyakuhlosisa noma siyazi, noma qha. Singabaqondisi befilimu esiyenzayo – kodwa siyizikhonzi zayo futhi: wonke uhlaka, umzuzu ngamunye, yithi, owethu.
Kodwa-ke amafreyimu ethu, izikhathi zethu zesikhashana, zihlangana kanjani ndawonye? Ngabe, uma kunokudlula kuphela, sifinyelela kanjani ukuqhubeka?
Ngemva kwekhulu leminyaka uVirginia Woolf ecabange “ngezikhathi zokuba khona” ezisenza sibe yilokho esiyikho, ujulisa umbuzo futhi aphendule:
Imicabango yethu edlulayo, njengoba kusho uWilliam James (esithombeni esithinta impilo yama-cowboy ngeminyaka yawo-1880), musa ukuzulazula njengezinkomo zasendle. Ngamunye ungowabo futhi unophawu lwalobu bunikazi, futhi umcabango ngamunye, emazwini kaJakobe, uzalwa umnikazi wemicabango eyadlula, futhi “ufa ungowakho, udlulisa noma yini obuyibona njengoBuyo kumnikazi wayo kamuva.” Ngakho-ke akuzona nje izikhathi zokucabanga, izikhathi ezilula zokwakheka komzimba – nakuba lezi zisekela yonke enye into – kodwa izikhathi zohlobo lomuntu siqu olubonakala luhlanganisa ubuthina… Sihlanganisa ngokuphelele “iqoqo lezikhathi,” nakuba lezi zigelezela komunye nomunye njengomfula u-Borges.
Qeqesha uchwepheshe wezifo zengqondo u-Iain McGilchrist ngokunaka njengethuluzi lothando nesazi sefilosofi u-Andy Clarke emandleni okulindela ukuthi ingqondo inikeza kanjani iqiniso, bese uvakashela kabusha u-Oliver Sacks ngokuphelelwa yithemba kanye nenjongo yokuphila, amandla okuphulukisa izingadi, nezici ezintathu ezibalulekile zokusungula.
