(Minghui.org) World Falun Dafa Day is approaching. As Dafa disciples, the most meaningful way to celebrate this annual holiday is to save more people. The call for submissions by the Minghui editorial board offers us such an opportunity.
Many practitioners I know believe that this is a chance to stand up for the Fa and tell the public what Falun Gong really is. However, many of them do not know how to write articles. It is really not difficult. I would like to share some of my thoughts on writing truth-clarifying articles.
Tell People What Falun Gong Really Is
The purpose of writing such articles is to document the beauty of Falun Dafa and to tell people what Falun Gong really is.
The Minghui website has published many articles from practitioners all over the world. The public has seen the truth of Falun Gong in these articles, which are the complete opposite of the Communist Party's propaganda. They have seen how Falun Dafa improves mental and physical health and benefits families and the society. And they have seen that Falun Gong does not have political agenda.
To write an article, we can recall our own experiences on our journey of cultivation, and see which one can best tell the public what Falun Gong really is and how wonderful it is.
Write in a Way That is Easy for People to Understand and Accept
In the notice calling for submissions, the Minghui editorial board wrote: “Submissions should consider non-practitioner readers and people who have been deceived by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Sometimes we don't give enough details, so our listeners don't believe us. For example, two practitioners told me that they once tried to tell a policeman in a detention center how they had benefited from Falun Gong. They just told him that Falun Gong had healed their diseases, but did not give any detailed information, so the policeman did not want to listen and stopped them.
Actually, that policeman was not hopeless. Later in the detention center, he witnessed how honorably practitioners spoke and acted and sensed their compassion. He also saw that they were able to stay in good health even in that terrible place. Gradually, he changed his attitude towards Dafa.
He stopped torturing practitioners and started to help them, buying them food and clothes. He also asked them how to practice Falun Gong and how to get on the Minghui website. He even made a pact with a practitioner—after that practitioner was released, he would teach this policeman the exercises.
This example shows us that we must write our articles so that people find them easy to understand and accept. Just like the policeman learned what Falun Gong really was by watching how practitioners behaved, we should try our best to write detailed and interesting stories. That way, the readers can see that we are compassionate and selfless.
Many people have been deceived by the Communist Party propaganda, and they may have resistant attitudes. So we need to make the articles readable and down on the earth.
If we want to tell people about Dafa amazing healing power, we should explain the fundamental reasons why our diseases were healed: we changed our ideas and improved our behavior after reading Zhuan Falun. We also want to tell them how we feel as a result of doing the exercises. Including details like comments from family members and physicians will help make the story interesting.
Other types of articles, such as everyday people or quitting the Party or benefiting from Dafa, also need interesting details.
Below are four examples from the Minghui website, which I believe can move our readers.
From "Miraculous Recoveries: Word about Falun Gong Spreads Throughout Communities (Part 2 of 3):"
I visited the Harbin Northern Necrosis Research Institute again in March 2000 to take back my medical records and a copy of my CT scan. The chief of the institute, Dr. Zhang, was shocked to see me, “Aren't you the one who was crawling on the floor?” I said, “Yes.”
He was even more surprised, “You can walk now?” I responded, “Didn't I just walk in?” I then moved about in the room and told him that I was now an able-bodied person who could do anything.
After discovering that I hadn't ordered any prescriptions since my last visit in February 1999, Dr. Zhang was eager to find out my secret, “Your recovery must not have been the result of the medicine. Tell me how?”
From "The Secret to My Youthful Looks:"
I was working in the store waiting on a customer before the 2015 New Year's Eve, when my daughter entered. We had not seen each other in a while and so we were very happy and we hugged.
She noticed I was busy and whispered in my ear before going to the back of the store. While I was finishing up, the customer asked if that was my girlfriend.
I was a little embarrassed and explained that she was in fact my daughter. The customer was surprised and apologized for the mistake. Then she said, “What's your secret? You look so young.”
From "How I Stay Righteous in Business:"
A food department director asked me to sell some corn that was really hard to sell. I asked a friend of mine to sell the corn and promised I would thank him later. He sold the corn quickly at a great price. The director was so happy that he gave me extra money for helping. I sent the money directly to my friend. The director was confused and asked why I didn't keep the money for myself. I said I had promised my friend I would thank him for helping. The director then said I should keep some for myself. I told him I was cultivating Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He thought I was stupid. However, he later told others that I was the most trustworthy person in the world.
From "Sailors Survive Shipwreck with Faith That 'Falun Dafa Is Good:'"
This example tells a story of how everyday people are blessed by Dafa, because they quit the Party and repeated “Falun Dafa is good.” The author vividly described the scene at the beginning with a lot of details, so that readers are drawn in and keep reading.
My story begins on October 28, 2014, when a vessel carrying cement was sailing across the Qiongzhou Strait back to Bohe Town in Maoming City, Guangdong Province.
The sailors on the vessel were resting when sea water flooded the cabin. Zhang Chaotao, one of the sailors, was swept up as more water came. As the rest of the sailors made it on deck, they saw that the vessel was sinking. Petrified, they yelled for everyone to find safety.
…...
While an everyday person may seem to care only about his health, money, and fame, everybody has a compassionate side deep in his heart. Some people also have blind belief in modern science. So when we talk to people and write articles, we need to consider their concerns and their beliefs. If they can see how our stories are related to their lives, and how they can benefit from our stories, they will believe us, and therefore be saved.
It would be great if we could write our stories in a way that is easily understood and therefore more convincing. It would be even better if we could pay some attention to grammar and writing style. If possible, we should ask fellow practitioners who are good at writing to polish our articles.
Collaborate Well and Don't Delay
Many of us are busy with truth-clarification work every day. The call for submissions from the Minghui editorial board offers us a chance to collaborate and clarify the truth on a large scale, so we put our egos aside and help each other.
Some practitioners might think that their stories are ordinary, but perhaps someone who has a pre-determined relationship with you is waiting to read your story. Maybe they will learn the truth from what you write and therefore be saved.
I hope that every practitioner will help others, including those who are illiterate and the everyday people who have already learned the truth, to write down our stories. Let us tell the public about the dramatic changes in our bodies and minds, demonstrate the beauty of Dafa and the power of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and celebrate this holiday by saving more people through collaboration.
