(Minghui.org) I have never been articulate. I am more interested in getting things done than ingratiating people. Therefore, my parents feared that I would not be able to survive in today's Chinese society. I was taught how to win approval from others and how to read people's minds. I refused to do it because I found such mentalities against my nature.
I had always performed excellently at school, but my parents would sigh and predict that I would have difficulty making something of myself because I was a nerd despite of my stellar academic performances. Today's Chinese society does not encourage people to be simple and honest. My parents often told me that society is dangerous and treacherous. They said only articulate people who ingratiate themselves with their leaders will be able to climb the corporate ladder. I often argued that it was not the way of a gentleman or a lady. However, my rebuttal would be invariably silenced with more criticism. Even my relatives would call me a nerd. Such comments silenced me. I started to lose confidence in myself. Looking at my own reflection in the mirror, I began to ask myself, "Why do people think I am a nerd?"
I had always been at the top of my class. I got into college and graduate school easily. I came from a rural area, but my education hardly cost my parents anything because of my scholarships. However, I was still criticized every time I went back home. My relatives and town folks would raise their voice and make sure I heard them: "Nowadays a college diploma is worthless. It doesn't get you any job. We farmers make more money than college graduates." I heard such comments many times.
Relatives and family friends wasted no time in lecturing me on being more diplomatic and cunning. When I did not respond, they concluded, "Education alone will not get you a good job." I was confused to hear such things. I really didn't like to conduct myself in the manner they recommended, but would I get a job if I followed my own principles?
I was often criticized for not being articulate or fashionable. But I got used to the criticism eventually. Because of my low self-esteem, I chose to make detours to avoid unwanted attention. I was not interested in standing out.
After I got my master's degree, I got a job at one of the Fortune 100 companies. This was a foreign corporation that emphasized personal freedom and respect. I felt as though I were still in school. I was very happy working and learning every day. No one made fun of my simple style of fashion. No one saw me in lesser light because I was not articulate. I kept a low profile and focused on my job.
Becoming a Falun Gong Practitioner
One day I was fortunate enough to find Zhuan Falun. After reading it, I finally understood what it truly meant to be a good person. I decided to follow Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I knew I was lucky to practice Falun Gong. I also realized that I should not have low self-esteem because I did nothing wrong when I followed righteous principles.
When I became a mother of a son and a daughter, I educated my children based on Falun Gong's teachings. I asked them to be good kids by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They know to respect their elders. They love and take care of each other. They share things with each other.
My daughter and I have been studying the Fa together since she was three. After she memorized the poems from Hong Yin, she made rapid progress in improving her moral character. When she played with her younger brother, she would think of him first and always tolerate him.
My son could recite three poems from Hong Yin when he was just learning to talk. I was very diligent in studying the Fa when I was pregnant with my son. As soon as he began to talk, I insisted that he start memorizing the Fa. My two children have been growing up healthily and happily.
Harmonizing the Family
My father-in-law was very mad when I went home during 2013 New Year. He told me angrily that he was opposed to the way I raised my children. I had not visited my parents-in-law very often, so I felt guilty and did not want to argue with him. I just listened. He insisted that my children should be allowed to watch TV because he thought it was very educational.
My parents-in-law then purposely traveled all the way and spent the Chinese New Year at our house. My father-in-law seemed fully prepared to confront me. He lost temper immediately when I forbade my children to watch the Chinese New Year special on TV. "I have seen the consequence of your education. These two children will surely be taken advantage of when they grow up! I am very angry with you! Look at them! So simpleminded!" shouted my my father-in-law. I was shocked and speechless in response to his rage.
I listened quietly, waiting until he finished. Then I said: "I will not feel ashamed as a mother if they are bullied or taken advantage of because they are kindhearted, but I will feel ashamed and feel that I have committed a terrible sin if I teach them to take advantage of anyone on account of their self-interest. It will be a disgrace to our entire family as well." Nevertheless, my father-in-law insisted that we live in a "dog-eat-dog" world and that good people will be taken advantage of everywhere. He disagreed with the way I was raising my children. He thought the way I raised my children would ruin their chance of prosperity.
After listening for a while, my mother-in-law told her husband that she agreed with teaching the children to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She also told him that she had witnessed an enormous transformation in me after my three years of practicing Falun Gong. She added that our family would never be so happy if it had not been for Falun Gong. She said that our entire family must thank Master Li Hongzhi. She then asked her husband to stop criticizing me.
Since it was considered bad luck to argue during the Chinese New Year, my father-in-law then stopped criticizing me. Yet, he looked morose and his wife ignored him. I made a good pot of tea and explained to them how wonderful Falun Gong is and what I have learned from Falun Gong. Then I apologized to my father-in-law. I explained that I wasn't trying to upset him on purpose. I didn't want my children to watch TV because today's TV programs are filled with violence, lies and sex. It would only pollute their minds.
Yet, my children have not missed out on educational TV programs. They have been watching children's programs about Chinese characters produced by New Tang Dynasty Television. My children have learned traditional Chinese culture from these excellent programs. In addition, watching Shen Yun Performing Arts on DVD nurtures them on the subjects of music, dance and arts. No TV program in China is as educational.
After listening to my explanation and hearing my sincere apology, my father-in-law began to smile. He still disagreed with me on this topic, although he was unable to refute my reasons. I told him that my parents used to have the same worries about me as he did about his grandchildren. They were worried that I would not survive. I may not have grown up to be an articulate or diplomatic person like they had hoped, but I am not without accomplishments. I am perceived as a good person at work. Following the teachings of Falun Gong, I do not fight over self-interest, but people do not take advantage of me either. I have actually gained a lot since I started practicing Falun Gong. I now know how to be a genuinely good person, and I have nothing to hide. It is a wonderful feeling of happiness beyond description. I don't have to worry about my self-interest like most people. I am very grateful to Master Li.
My mother-in-law told me that my father-in-law used to be a member of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Youth League. She asked me to help him quit. He insisted that he is no longer a member because he is no longer a youth. I found relevant articles written by fellow practitioners and read the articles to him. I explained to him that the CCP is a cult that orders people not to believe in God or Buddha and that taking an oath of allegiance to the Party has a terrible consequence. He eventually agreed to quit the CCP's Youth League.
From then on, I would read Zhuan Falun to my parents-in-law at every opportune moment. When my father-in-law saw his wife quietly sitting next to me and listening, he would sit down next to her and listen as well. They stayed with us for eight days. I persevered in reading Zhuan Falun to them for one to two hours every day.
The night before they were getting ready to leave, my father-in-law told me that he knew Falun Gong is good, but that one had no choice but to submit to tyranny when living within a tyrannous regime. I suggested that he get in touch with Falun Gong practitioners when he returned home and stop refusing their visits. (A fellow practitioner often visited him to clarify the facts, but he had always asked her to leave.)
My mother-in-law told her husband that she wanted to stay with me a while longer and asked him to go home by himself. She was tired of spending time with those town folks who constantly talk about money and extra-marital affairs. She has spent a lot of time with us during the past two years. She listens to my children and me memorizing the Fa every day. She watches Shen Yun performances on DVD. She listens to music composed by Falun Gong practitioners. She has been purified a lot physically and spiritually. She knows that a life with us is wonderful and peaceful.
I used to have a low self-esteem because I insisted on being kind. Now I am very proud of myself because it is the biggest accomplishment of my life to be a Falun Gong practitioner and a kind person.
