(Clearwisdom.net) In the spring of 2000, farmers in a village in Jilin Province were hit by a severe drought. The river near their village had gone dry when it was time to plant the rice paddy seedlings, so an alternate water source was needed badly. The farmers drilled a well to draw underground water to irrigate their paddy fields, but because the supply was limited, every household had to take turns getting water.

Since rice paddy cultivation requires timely irrigation, the farmers all went to the well to fight for the water. The village leaders had to order the farmers to form a line to get water, but everyone still competed with each other and the scene was very chaotic. There was one young man, however, who waited in line quietly without saying anything. When it was his turn, he asked the people behind him to go ahead and get their water first. The leaders asked him with surprise, "Everybody else is rushing forward and fighting for water, why aren't you?" This young man said, "I cultivate Falun Dafa. Our Teacher teaches us to follow Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance in everything we do. We need to think of others first at all times, therefore, I cannot compete with my fellow villagers." The leaders said, "See, people who practice Falun Gong have very good moral character."

When all the other farmers were done getting their water, there was only very little left for the young man. Nevertheless, he went ahead and used that bit of water to plant his paddy seedlings. When the autumn arrived and it was harvest time, everyone saw an amazing sight. The young man had a great harvest. The villagers were astounded. The leaders announced at a meeting, "At our village everyone can practice Falun Gong openly. We hope there are more people practicing Falun Gong here."

2004-1-8