(Minghui.org) When Master Li published “How Humankind Came To Be” earlier this year, I understood that the prelude of the Fa rectifying the human realm had begun. I felt a sense of urgency and dedicated even more time every day to go out and talk to people about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa. I’m increasingly convinced that most people are lost in this secular world, especially the younger generation. But they are all waiting to hear the truth.
I ran into a middle school student at a street vendor one day. I was a little confused at seeing him there as it was the middle of the day. Why was he not at school? I started a conversation with him and learned that he was in the eighth grade.
I didn’t ask him directly why he wasn’t in school. Instead, I said, “You sound like an intelligent young man. You must have good grades. Study hard and you’ll have a bright future. Be grateful to your parents and take care of them when you grow up.” He nodded and thanked me. I then talked about the pandemic and asked him open-ended questions.
I told him, “The pandemic is still ongoing, so please take care of yourself. People of my generation call this a plague. It is heaven’s way of punishing humans when they become morally corrupt. Only if humans repent their wrongdoings can they be given a second chance. People nowadays, however, have been brainwashed with atheist ideology and do not believe that there are higher beings.”
I asked, “Who do you think could make a small virus go around the world and impact people’s lives on such a large scale, regardless of their age, race, country, or culture? Isn’t this a warning from the heavens? Although the plague is the higher beings’ doing, the suffering is caused by humans themselves as people nowadays stop at no evil. They don’t conduct themselves according to heaven’s standards for humans, and some don’t even respect and take care of their own parents. This is why they are being punished.” The boy nodded. I could tell he understood what I was saying and appeared to believe that there are higher beings.
I continued, “There is no antidote to this virus and you have to help yourself.” He looked at me as if asking, “How?” I said, “You believe this is punishment from the heavens, right? Then you have to follow heaven’s moral principles to avoid it. When you joined the Young Pioneers and the Communist Youth League, you raised your hand and swore to become a successor of the atheist Communist Party, to commit your life and to fight for its causes. You have to revoke this vow and sincerely want to exit these organizations; otherwise the higher beings cannot save you. Once you do that, the higher beings will carry you in their hands and protect you from great catastrophes.” The boy was very receptive and readily chose to quit the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) youth organizations.
The boy’s friend came and joined us. I told them the facts about Dafa and the persecution. The two of them looked at each other and decided the practice is not at all what the government’s propaganda had said it was. The friend also agreed to quit the CCP’s youth organizations.
I asked them, “Isn’t school in session today? Why aren’t you in school?” The boy said: “Something happened recently at home—all because of my father. I hate him to death! I don’t want to go to school. I don’t even want to live anymore. I’m so depressed I don’t know what to do. My friend here is worried about me and that’s why he’s been following me to make sure I’m okay.”
My heart sank. I had a vision of the boy kicking and struggling to keep himself from drowning. If I didn’t pull him up, who knows what tragedy would happen? Young people nowadays are prone to becoming extreme in their thinking and behavior. Heavily influenced by atheist ideology, they don’t know to value life. It was not a coincidence that I ran into these boys—it must have been Master’s arrangement for me to be there so I could help them.
“What is the matter?” I asked. “Would you share with me? I’m a Falun Dafa practitioner, and I believe that Dafa can help you resolve anything.” As he told his story, the boy became very emotional. He also made sarcastic comments and criticized the education system in China, “The schools don’t care about teaching real knowledge and exploring new things in science. Instead, we’re taught useless stuff and lies every day. It has completely gone astray. We even have sex education class. At this rate, the country will end up in ruin. What will our society be like in ten, twenty years?”
I was very impressed by this young man. He had sound logic, raised legitimate concerns about the education system and was worried about the country’s future. I complimented him: “Wow. You are going places in life, son. You are smart and an independent thinker. I can tell you’ve given a lot of thought to these complex issues. Cherish the time you live in—great people are born in the most trying times in history. I’m not just saying this. I only say things that I truly believe, or else I would be doing you a disservice. You have not been jaded and have great potential. You must continue with your education. Our country needs people like you. As we are bound to return to our cultural traditions soon, you’ll be leading the way as an elite in society. We need young people like you to blaze the trail.”
He sensed my sincerity, so he nodded and gave me a thumbs up. Then, looking concerned, he said, “I can’t stay at home because of my damn father.” He wanted to say more but stopped himself. The problem must have been very complicated to cause this young boy so much agony. I didn’t press him for details.
I told him about the complex predestined relationships we have all accumulated from previous lives through reincarnation. I gave him real life examples of people I know. “Filial piety is the most important form of kindness,” I told him. “Your father gave you life. The great cycle of life is real and everything in life has a reason. You two wouldn’t be father and son if there wasn’t a predestined relationship. Try not to resent him.” However, the conflict apparently ran deep, and the boy couldn’t let his feelings go so easily.
I happened to have a Dafa booklet with me. It has a picture of Zhuan Falun on the back cover and a printed line that says, “A book people have sought after for thousands of years.” I pointed at the picture and told him, “Young man, this book will provide you with direction. Many people have discovered the meaning of life and gained hope after reading it. The booklet is a periodical and is also a great read. I only have one copy, and you can have it.” He took it and immediately put it in the inner pocket of his jacket, saying, “I can’t let the police see this.” I then gave him and his friend each a Dafa amulet and taught them how to connect to the Internet despite the Great Firewall and find Zhuan Falun online.
Before we parted ways, I told him that Falun Dafa would help resolve things between he and his father and help him find answers in life. Having found a great treasure, the two teenage boys left feeling hopeful.
I am a natural science teacher at an elementary school. Every time I looked at the innocent faces in my class, I had this sacred sense of obligation and duty toward them. Children are the future, the hope of our nation, and the continuation of our heritage and traditions. Traditional Chinese culture has great wisdom and depth. It has been passed down from generation to generation and nurtured people in China for thousands of years. However, true traditional culture is missing from the curricula we teach in schools. This is one of the reasons why the younger generations have so many problems.
I returned to my classroom on the first day of school after summer break. The room was full of innocent faces, and the children all seemed happy to be there. I greeted them with a smile and said, “Hi class. I am so happy to see all of you. Today our lesson will be ‘Nature’s Choice.’ We’re sitting in a classroom. Above our heads, we have a roof. Under our feet, we have a floor. This space is our classroom. If we step outside, what is above our head and what is under our feet?”
The students answered that the sky would be above our heads and the ground would be under our feet. I nodded, “Yes. The space outside is much bigger and we call it nature. Each one of you have your own home and nature is our home. It is everybody’s home. To make our lives better, nature gives us a wide range of resources and a beautiful environment. Can you identify a few examples?”
The kids were thinking fast and everybody tried to give me their answers—the streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, mountains, four seasons, minerals, flowers, trees, grass, and the many animals and creatures. I smiled and said, “Nature takes care of us and protects us as humans and, in turn, we should be friendly to nature and protect nature. But are people doing that?”
The question started a lively discussion. The students talked about the diminishing clean water, increasing air pollution, trees being cut down, lakes turning into landfills, and many other issues. “Do you think nature is happy about all this?” Everybody agreed that nature must be upset.
I continued, “People in ancient times called nature the Almighty Heaven. Back then, people had a healthy fear of nature. The older generations said that whenever there was a drought, people knelt down, burnt incense, kowtowed (bowed), and beat a gong and a drum to pray for rain. Their prayers were often answered and the rain would come. The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was used by the emperors for this exact purpose.
“Back then, everyone believed in higher beings. But nowadays people don’t believe in Gods anymore and they hurt nature at will just to make a profit. Do you think the Almighty Heaven is going to be happy about that? Look at the ongoing pandemic and how far it has spread. Isn’t this a punishment from the heavens?” The children nodded repeatedly.
“The heavens have standards for human beings, and they are called nature’s laws. We all have to examine ourselves and reflect amid this pandemic. Have you done anything bad or harmful to others? Quietly ask for heaven’s forgiveness in your heart if you have. If you are sincere, the heavens will give you another chance. ‘Nature’s Choice’ means that nature is going to choose good people and protect them from great catastrophes. What is the criteria then? It is that you try to be a good person by complying with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. If you meet this standard, you will be safe. Otherwise, you’ll be filtered out. If you want to be chosen by nature, you’ll have to have these virtues.”
I then told them a few stories to demonstrate that good people will be protected by higher beings and nature. The kids really enjoyed them. In the end, I read them a poem,
“It is good to be a truthful and sincere personYour kindness is noted by heavenForbearance will widen your path in lifeGood people will receive blessings”
The message is that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good and that, as long as we live by these principles, we will be safe and happy.
The lesson on the first day of school was a great success!