(Minghui.org) Ever since I started cultivating Falun Dafa, I've made it a point to be strict with myself but to treat others kindly.
Treating Others Well with No Regrets
Before I practiced Falun Dafa, I was very strict in general. Every time I called the roll in my group before work started, I wrote “late” even if the person came in right afterward, and I wrote “left early” even if he or she left just a little bit earlier than the exact time. The workshop director then deducted the time from their salaries, so many of the employees hated me. I had bad relationships with co-workers.
After I started to practice Falun Dafa, I went to talk to the workshop director. I said, “When an employee is absent, late, or leaves early, others in our group will do our best to make up for it, so the work doesn't suffer. If it does, then our group as a whole should be fined. If we do it that way, the workers will complain less.” The director agreed. From then on, I used the fines to buy work supplies. All my co-workers were pleased with the new arrangement.
The machines run 24 hours a day in our workshop. There are three shifts. Especially on the night shift, when I did on-site inspections, I often saw workers sleeping. They kept the machine running even after the processing finished, which could easily cause the machine to malfunction. Before I became a practitioner, I would wake the person up and scold him. But now I tend to turn off the machine myself, because I need to be a good person and treat others well. I also easily get sleepy on the night shift, but I fight it, because I should be strict with myself.
Improving My Character, Letting Go of Greed
Twenty years ago our factory was a state-run enterprise, and management was lax. Nobody who worked in the factory thought it was wrong to take things from the factory home. It is a paper mill, so there was wood piled everywhere. Many employees stole wood to cook and heat with. Sometimes a batch of coal was delivered and piled in the yard in the daytime. It could disappear overnight.
My salary was very low, so I was really tempted to take things, too. But I resisted the temptation because I understood that the really important thing is virtue and that we cannot undermine virtue to satisfy a temporary need. I learned that from Falun Dafa.
Doing Business Fairly
Now I am in the building materials business. It is a complex cultivation environment for me. Other business owners in this sector attract customers with very low prices but deliver inferior materials. I never do that. I insist on the standard prices and deliver high-quality goods and services. Over time, I've earned a good reputation and my business is successful.
One customer that often came to my store asked a lot of questions and selected a lot of items but never purchased anything. I was a little impatient with her but still tried to maintain my xinxing and treated her nicely. Later, she came again, still had a lot of questions, and took up a lot of my time. I patiently answered all her questions again. Finally, she decided to buy. She told me, “You are the best! I visited other stores. The owners were all impatient with me. You are always so kind! Whenever I need to buy building materials I will come to your store! I can be assured that you will deliver quality materials.”
My neighbors often asked to borrow tools from me. I always lent to them generously. But some of them broke my tools, some lost them, and some never returned them. Sometimes I lost my temper said, “I will never lend to them again!” But soon I realized I wasn't living up to the standard of a Dafa practitioner. When people later came to borrow tools again, I smiled and agreed.
Dafa has changed the way I treated other people. But it is still far from the requirement of Dafa. I will cultivate more diligently, be more strict with myself, and try to create more happiness for others.
Category: Improving Oneself
