(Minghui.org) There is a Chinese saying: “If you do not plan for the long term, you will face immediate troubles.” Here are a few examples, both positive ones and lessons learned.
Tao Kan, a general of the Jin Dynasty, rose from a humble background. During an era when the aristocracy normally monopolized high-ranking officials, it was an exceptional feat that Tao could attain the position of Grand Marshal (taiwei) who oversaw the military affairs of eight provinces. However, a closer look at his life reveals that this achievement was no mere accident.
Tao lost his father during childhood, and his mother worked very hard to support the poor family. She labored during the day and spun thread and wove hemp in the evening. Despite their poverty, she generously gave her accumulated savings to Tao, so that he could associate with people of upright character and broaden his knowledge.
Fan Kui, a friend of Tao, once visited his home with several companions. As night fell a heavy snowstorm struck, and the impoverished family found themselves unable to properly host their guests. Sensing Tao’s unease, his mother reassured him, “Please ask the guests to stay and I will figure things out.”
With no money for food, Tao’s mother cut off her long hair and sold it to buy food. With no firewood for heating, she chopped down a house pillar so that the guests could warm themselves by the stove. When there was no fodder for the guest’s horses, she pulled up the straw mat from her own bed, chopped it into pieces, and fed it to the animals. These acts of generosity moved both Tao and Fan. Impressed by Tao’s caliber and insights, Fan remarked, “With such a virtuous mother, I am not surprised by her talented son.”
With the support of Fan and others, Tao became a government official. He served as the county official responsible for fisheries for a period of time. On one occasion when a subordinate was traveling through Tao’s hometown, Tao asked him to deliver a jar of salted fish (a common food of local officials) to his mother. Some time later, the jar was returned unopened, accompanied by a letter.
“You have only just become a minor official, and yet you have already used government property for my personal benefit,” his mother wrote in the letter. “Far from bringing me joy, this causes me great concern!”
Deeply affected by his mother’s words, Tao was determined to heed his mother’s teachings for the rest of his life, striving to serve as an upright, honest, and incorruptible official.
Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, renowned as one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history, was well known for his vision. “One must not forget danger in times of stability, nor chaos in times of peace; even knowing that there is currently no calamity, one must consider how to maintain this state of affairs,” he once said in Zhenguan Zhengyao (The Essentials of Government).
Twelve years into his reign, Emperor Taizong asked his senior officials one day, “Whenever reading about the virtuous deeds of past emperors, I strive to emulate them tirelessly. I also appointed you all because I truly considered you to be men of exceptional talent, yet the results of our governance still fall short of the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Why is this so?”
Wei Zheng, one of the officials, acknowledged that it was true that the country was peaceful and flourishing. However, he cautioned against complacency. Throughout the ages, an emperor newly ascending the throne had always sought to invigorate his administration by emulating great emperors in the ancient times such as Yao and Shun.
“Once a ruler enjoys ease and comfort, he tends to become arrogant, extravagant, and self-indulgent, failing to preserve his innate goodness to the end,” Wei warned. “Similarly, when ministers are first appointed, they aspire to rectify the ruler, remedy the ills of the times, and emulate the achievements of legendary figures like Ji and Xie; yet, once they attain wealth and high status, they care only about preserving their offices and titles, with none remaining truly loyal and steadfast.”
“If both ruler and minister could remain diligent and steadfast to the very end, there would be no need to worry about state affairs, and the nation would naturally surpass the achievements of past dynasties,” Wei continued, and Emperor Taizong agreed.
A similar situation occurred to Emperor Kangzi in the Qing Dynasty. “When there are no pressing matters, one should maintain a state of vigilance—as if a task were at hand—to guard against potential problems. In this way, no untoward incidents will occur,” he said in Tingxun Geyan (Maxims of Court Instruction), a collection of speeches to his children. “Conversely, when faced with actual challenges, one should remain as composed and unruffled as if nothing were amiss, keeping one’s thoughts calm and steady; then, the issues will naturally resolve themselves with ease. The ancients said, ‘Be prudent in mind yet bold in spirit’—this is the attitude one should adopt in all situations.”
Joachim Bouvet, a French missionary sent by King Louis XIV to visit China, was impressed by this. In his letter, Bouvet referred to Emperor Kangxi as “the most potent Prince in the World,” and “a declared Enemy of a Lazy and Idle Life, for he never goes to bed but very late, and rises early.”
However, these traditions were lost after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took power in 1949. Through numerous political campaigns, the regime intensified its use of brutality and propaganda, forcing people away from traditional values.
Even after the catastrophic Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, such a spiritual vacuum persisted under the CCP’s atheistic rule. In May 1980, China Youth magazine published a letter from Pan Xiao with a title of “The Path of Life: Why Does It Grow Narrower as I Walk?”
“I am 23 years old—technically just setting out on the journey of life—yet all the mysteries and allure of existence have already vanished for me; it feels as though I have reached the very end of the road,” wrote the author. “Looking back, the path I have traversed has been a journey shifting from vibrant crimson to a pallid gray; a progression from hope to disappointment and, ultimately, despair; a mental odyssey that began with selfless intentions but concluded by turning inward upon the self.”
Unfortunately, as the younger generation like Pan continued searching by exploring various ideologies, including Western values, they were targeted as “Bourgeois liberalization.” This eventually led to the Tiananmen Square Massacre that suppressed the democratic movement on June 4, 1989.
Amid these circumstances, Falun Gong, a meditation system based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, was introduced to the public in May 1992. Within just a few years, approximately 100 million people were witnessing improvements in physical health and moral character. “The middle managers at my workplace are willing to hire Falun Gong practitioners because these practitioners are diligent, hardworking, and never complain about their workload,” wrote a practitioner working at an IT firm in Beijing at the time.
After the CCP began to suppress Falun Gong in July 1999 however, many officials followed the persecution policy blindly for personal gain. By acting against their conscience, they ruthlessly arrested and detained innocent Falun Gong practitioners— followed by brainwashing, torture, forced labor, death, and even murder for their organs. Their bad deeds in turn resulted in consequences.
On August 1, 2005, the Xihe District Police Department of Fuxin City in Liaoning Province worked with the Sihe Police Station to arrest 15 Falun Gong practitioners. Meng Qingyan, then-director of the Sihe Police Station, sought to gain credit through this action. At a subsequent meeting, he raved fanatically about “fighting Falun Gong to the bitter end,” only to die suddenly of a heart attack that very night.
A similar incident involved Liu Wanquan, director of the Zhuzhoushan Township Police Station in Fuxin City. Motivated by political gain, he sought to force local Falun Gong practitioner Huang Xiaojie and others into renouncing their belief in Falun Gong. Liu not only brutally beat Huang but also assaulted Huang’s mother, brother-in-law, and cousin—all of whom had assisted Huang—and extorted fines from them. Even more egregiously, during one attempt to abduct Huang, Liu ordered his subordinates to shoot Huang in the left lower leg—piercing right through it—simply because Huang refused to cooperate with the persecution. Huang was later framed and unjustly imprisoned for eight years.
Two years later, Liu was reported to the authorities and sentenced to twelve years in prison himself; news later emerged from the prison that he had developed cancer.
There is a saying, “you reap what you sow.” Life is a journey defined by the choices we make. By following our moral compass, we are rewarded with safety, health, and prosperity.