November 26, 2003
(Clearwisdom.net) It is said, "Nine out of ten merchants are profiteers" and "Nine out of ten government officials are corrupt," meaning that business professions and government posts can make people degenerate. However, I think when merchants are doing business, if they can do things righteously and compete fairly, there would be no place for the word "profiteer." If government officials act righteously and fairly at their posts, they will get people's understanding and support, and the "corruptions" that are hard to resist will no longer exist. Therefore, doing good or bad has no correlation to people's rank or position, but depends entirely on what an individual chooses to do.
On the issue of whether or not to continue to practice Falun Gong, on one side was the aggressive "transformation" by force from "top level officials" and on the other side was the worrying "persuasion" of friends and school officials. This was the toughest test that I had to face, in my entire life. There is an ancient saying that "One who understands and follows reality will be an outstanding and talented person." Some people understand it to mean teaching people to be more flexible and talk differently to different people, so as to protect personal interests and be a truly smart person. However, this understanding is based on selfishness. Think about it, if everyone always considers him or herself with this kind of selfish behavior, or even recognizes this kind of view, can people still cordially get along with each other? How will people be able to reach true happiness?
Some people said, "The government has already set the direction on Falun Gong; If you continue with your practice, you will be labeled as anti-party." A good citizen should obey a country's law and the country's law is definitely used to protect people's legal rights from being trodden on. If there are people who are irrational and blindly set a direction against any person or issue, it will definitely recreate the tragedy of "The Cultural Revolution". I believe one should not force good citizens who truly believe in "Truthfulness-Compassion- Tolerance" To the opposite side as a result of policies. Moreover, my school leaders and friends are fully aware how I deal with people and handle matters. They are the real witnesses to my actions after I learned Falun Gong.
Falun Gong practitioners have been resisting the persecution in a peaceful and rational manner. Looking back at Chinese history, whenever the society had a conflict, people would either choose to use force and take up arms to fight for their rights, or choose to give in their consciences and make false statements and do false things against their will, which pushed them into dark corners. They had no other choices except for the above two. In front of this huge test of conscience on how to treat Falun Gong, every person should take it seriously on how to make the right choice.
In our work and daily life, we often encounter people who praise and people who criticize. However, people only judge right or wrong with their own inherent preference. Then a situation where one can't agree on right or wrong, or an endless debate will surely appear. This is also a big obstacle we face while making decisions. Is it an indication of "stubbornness" that I continue to practice my belief in Falun Gong? A person is "stubborn" when he cannot let go of his "personal interest" or "personal opinion." Put it in plain words, he does not stand for the "truth" but chooses a selfish way to express his view. I stand besides Falun Gong not because Falun Gong gives me any "material" reward, but because a person who truly believes in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" will benefit a country and its people without causing any harm. Moreover, the reason that my work performance and conduct have been recognized by my colleagues and supervisors is my manner of doing things after practicing Falun Gong. Such people and such a belief ought to be respected by people and should not be persecuted! Therefore, on the issue of my belief in Falun Gong, I did not measure right or wrong based on my personal interests. When people can calm down and judge things rationally, they will find this is a type of "choice" not "stubbornly sticking to one's own opinion," but as choosing to live by principles with conscience, and preserving personal and societal morality.
In this kind of a harsh environment, I choose neither violence nor submission. I am willing to prove that my belief is not wrong using the language and conduct of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." Perhaps, people could temporarily be driven to all kinds of irrational conduct due to their selfishness and incorrect thoughts, yet people's conscience would not disappear because of this. Lies, evil and violence cannot live under the light of day. They can fulfill transient needs for the interest of certain individuals but cannot bring people true happiness. Moreover, people might think that "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance" as being something incapable of fulfilling their material needs. However, only when people act according to "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance", can they obtain true happiness both materially and spiritually.
This year my school was penalized by the authorities and was not allowed to receive an aware for "outstanding school" honor simply because I practice Falun Gong. I felt very sad about this situation. I did not intend to bring trouble to the school, and I did not realize such unreasonable and unlawful scoring methods were possible. I love my school and my personal belief has not brought any improperness to anyone. In contrast, it was because of my belief that I worked more diligently at work, which has been respected by everyone. If a person thinks of such good people as being "not outstanding" or "foolish," then isn't the person himself being irrational? It made me feel gratified that the school did not dismiss me under such pressure and chose to act rationally. With this I saw compassion and friendliness in the human world. I do not have more words to express myself but I want to do well in my future cultivation and work.
In short, the contemporary world is not easy, and the life of each one is bound to have difficulties and obstacles. However, each one's right choice will add a cherishable and beautiful touch to the colorful journey of life.