Teacher Li Hongzhi stated in his lecture at the Western US Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference, "Moreover, all people with righteous thoughts--and I'm not referring to our students--all everyday people with righteous thoughts are standing up against this [crackdown]. This is because the evil was restraining people before, and after the evil was eliminated, people became clearheaded and now they're reconsidering and reevaluating all these. The lies and fabrications will all be exposed one by one." The righteous way in human society is bound to be difficult to come by. But the changes in human society have been gradually validating the truth revealed by the Teacher.
In addition, "Clarifying the truth, at the same time as exposing the evil, restrains the evil and lessens the persecution; and exposing the evil is at the same time clearing from people's minds the poison of the evil's lies and deception--it is saving people." This is because "if people's minds contain thoughts that resist Dafa, once this evil drama is over a large-scale elimination of humankind will commence, and the people who have the predestined relationship to obtain the Fa or even a larger number of innocent people might be eliminated." (From the Teacher's article "Persons in Charge of the European Fa Conference and All Attendees" [Draft translation subject to further improvement, translator])
Those who get to know the truth and hence turn to support Falun Dafa could be saved. And to save the people is one of the main reasons that Falun Dafa practitioners are standing out to clarify the truth regardless of the difficulties and the barriers.
"Please Pass On These Words To Falun Dafa Practitioners, 'Don't Give Up!' "
One day, a group of journalists including a Xinhua Agency reporter had a luncheon together. A person who knew the truth about Falun Dafa asked the journalists, "Why on earth did you have to make up so many articles defaming Falun Gong?" The journalists began to complain. Journalist A grumbled, "It is not us that want to publish those articles. We just carry out the commands from higher authorities. We are under pressure to write those kinds of articles while at the same time we are not allowed to write anything that concerns the complaints and the hardships of everyday people." Journalist B said, "Actually, we all know a lot about Falun Gong. One of my family members is a practitioner and his illnesses really went away after practicing Falun Gong. I know it must be good. However, how do I dare practice during the current situation?" Journalist C added, " I really admire those practitioners who dedicate themselves to Falun Gong. If I could eventually find the truth I have been looking for, I would also be willing to go to Tiananmen Square to devote my life for it!" At this point, the person who knew the truth told Journalist C, "There is no such a saying as 'devote one's life' in Falun Gong. Also Falun Gong is against suicide. Those people who set themselves on fire were not real Falun Gong practitioners." Journalist C suddenly understood the truth. Later he told the person who knew the truth about Falun Gong, "If you come across Falun Gong practitioners later, please pass our words to them: 'My friends and I all support Falun Gong! Don't give up!'"
A College Teacher Who Speaks Out Because of a Sense of Justice
A college student who is a Falun Dafa practitioner was in a Marxism and Leninism class when the teacher began talking about belief. The teacher admired the firm belief and courage of Falun Dafa practitioners and commented, "Falun Gong practitioners are just formidable. They risk so much in going to Tiananmen Square for the sake of upholding their belief. China would be totally different if the Chinese people behaved like Falun Gong practitioners in upholding the truth, not being so obedient to higher authorities and not exchanging their dignity for a tiny bit of personal gain!"
"We Ought To Support Falun Gong"
A college teacher who is a practitioner was giving a lecture to his students. When talking about Falun Gong, many students just believed what the television programs had said and had many misunderstandings about Falun Gong. The practitioner patiently clarified the truth to the students and explained to them, from the perspective of history, how the orthodox religions, such as Buddhism and Christianity, had always been persecuted. Many students therefore changed their minds about Falun Dafa. A girl told the practitioner secretly after class, "My mom is a practitioner." Another student asked, "Teacher, we should support Falun Gong, shouldn't we?" The practitioner replied, "Of course we should!"
A Kind-Hearted Official
A practitioner who went to the Public Security Bureau to get back his things seized by the police came across an official who was once in charge of a Falun Gong issue. The practitioner mentioned his problem of frequent harassment from the police and the neighborhood committee. The official told the practitioner, "Let me tell you what to do if someone harasses you again. Just tell him, 'I am busy. I am against neither the Communist Party nor socialism. Please don't bother me anymore.'" And then, he added with a lowered voice, "You are not against the Party and you are not against socialism, but it doesn't mean that you are not against Jiang Zemin!" How would Jiang Zemin respond if he had heard this?
"Falun Gong Blamed When Bad Things Occur"
A practitioner in a city in a southern providence overheard a few people talking about Falun Gong in the park. Because of his curiosity he went to join them and heard a person say, "So another Falun Gong practitioner set himself on fire. The TV program even showed his Identity Card and the will he wrote before his death!" A second person asked, "Then why did only one paragraph of the letter get broadcast? What about the rest of it? What else did he say?" A third person answered, "Of course you were not supposed to know all of it. Otherwise you might have noticed some suspicious points!" A fourth person added, "He must be a worker that lost his job when the financial situation in his factory deteriorated. He must have set himself on fire to protest since he had no way out. Then it's taken as 'evidence' to frame Falun Gong." A fifth person sighed, "Everything happens these days. He [Jiang Zemin/translator] said Falun Gong is an XX [slanderous words omitted], so Falun Gong would be framed for anything bad that happens."
Truth-Clarifying
Quietly the environment around us has started to change with the progress of the Fa-rectification and the practitioners' further efforts in disclosing the truths of the crackdown. Ms. Li, a colleague of mine, asked uncertainly when she first heard of the truth about the crackdown. "Why didn't you talk to the government directly and publicly to the newspapers?" she asked. "That is a good suggestion." I said. "Actually our practitioners were trying to clarify the truth to the government when they appealed to higher authorities. But when they arrived at the Petition Bureaus, they got beaten and arrested. Then they were detained, sent to labor camps or sentenced to imprisonment, or even beaten to death." I brought her some material to clarify the truth since she simply couldn't understand or believe what I said. Unexpectedly, a few days later, I heard her on the bus saying, "It is so unreasonable that those Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted to death just because they tried to appeal to higher authorities. How can our legal system run like this?" After that, she was very glad to accept more truth-clarifying materials.
"I Don't Believe In Falun Gong, But The Crackdown Is Totally Wrong"
On a long-distance bus, a passenger was loudly expressing his indignation about the corruption and the poor benefits of workers. He was obviously very upset about corruption and bureaucracy. When someone suggested that he write a report or appeal to higher authorities, he said, "What is the use of that? So many Falun Gong practitioners have appealed to higher authorities and look at the result!" Another person added, "The workers in your area are not tough enough. In our region, the workers would sit in front of government buildings or go on a hunger strike." The passenger continued indignantly, "There is no place to argue about the truth nowadays in China! If you go there to sit-in or hold a hunger strike, the police would take you as Falun Gong practitioners and beat you or arrest you. Falun Gong became the target of the crackdown, as an XX only because those Falun Gong practitioners went there [The Central Compound/ translator] with some suggestions. Who else would dare to propose anything to the government during such a situation!" Then another person mentioned the self-immolation program on TV. The passenger gave a snort of contempt and replied, "I bet it was to frame Falun Gong! There is nothing that the Communist Party dares not to do! I don't believe in Falun Gong, but the crackdown is absolutely wrong!" What this passenger said might represent the opinions of many common people who do not dare to speak up.
Colleagues of Mine That Have Learned the Truth
I have been clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to my colleagues who didn't understand Falun Gong in the beginning. Later many of them talked to me on the bus to work. They said, "Yes, those real Falun Gong practitioners are not like what the TV programs have described. Those programs are too exaggerated. Actually it seems to me that Falun Gong will grow even bigger in the future." It was just one or two days after I got Teacher's lecture at the Great Lakes conference. So how could a little human being (Jiang Zeming/translator) be able to stop the Fa-rectification progress in the universe when even ordinary people can see the truth and the changes? In his "Lecture at The Great Lakes Conference in North America" the Teacher said, "I hope that everyone will do an even better job in this Fa-rectification matter and in exposing the evil." We will try to seize all the opportunities to spread Falun Dafa and save those people that should be saved.
"Jiang Zemin Doesn't Show Up Today, Again"
Practitioner Zhao was arrested for distributing truth-clarifying materials. His elderly parents came to the city from a remote mountain village. We could only imagine how worried they were when they heard that their only son was arrested. To comfort them, I said, "Auntie, they won't keep your son for a long time. Jiang Zemin hasn't shown up for five days. It is said that he has necrobiosis ("black leg disease" in Chinese slang/by trans.). The Fa will surely be rectified and we will live a peaceful life then." After the evening news program that day, Mother Zhao said to me, "He didn't show up today, again." "No, he didn't." I replied. Mother Zhao wanted to be assured, "Is it correct that he didn't show up today again?" "Correct."
Jiang Zemin, I want to tell you that although common people fear your power, actually they hope they would never see you again. Your own people just don't dare to speak up about their hatred and anger towards you. The old couple doesn't practice Falun Gong and they are frightened. But they know their son is a kind, honest, and a righteous person. They hope that their son will be freed as soon as possible. And what are you expecting?
Common People Become Clearheaded
The scene of the story takes place in an office in a state-owned shopping center.
The characters are a manager (M) and an employee (E) of a rear-service department.
M: Did you read the report of the self-immolation in the newspaper? It is horrible!
E: I don't think we can believe all of that. Just think about it, why did they have to go to Tiananmen Square to do the self-immolation when they could do it anywhere? Besides, there are Falun Gong practitioners in other countries also. Why did the self-immolation only happen in China and not abroad?
M: Keep your voice down. I see, you are also a Falun Gong practitioner, right?
E: That is a compliment to me. It is not allowed to swear at people in Falun Gong. Otherwise, I would have become a practitioner already!
Reported by practitioners in China on March 20, 2001
[Editor's Note: Welcome Falun Dafa practitioners all over the world and their friends to take some time to provide us with Fa-rectifying stories so that we would have an online column for kind-hearted people to communicate with each other.]
(Translated on March 23, 2001 from edited versions of http://minghui.cc/mh/articles/2001/3/21/9211.html and http://minghui.cc/mh/articles/2001/3/21/9212.html