PureInsight | January 16, 2006
[PureInsight.org] "Aunt Ming Zhu, before you start telling stories today, I have a question for you from a reader. You mentioned in part two that your mother passed away when your baby brother was only seven years old and when you were 15 years old. But you mentioned in part ten that you lived with your mother for only 13 years. Why is there a discrepancy of two years?"
"Oh, it is because I lived with my older sister for two years. This reader really pays attention to the finest details. It is incredible that you receive readers' feedback so quickly."
"It is because I live with this reader. The truth is that the question came from my husband."
"No wonder. You must remember to thank him on my behalf for his feedback."
This story took place many years ago, but I hope it will be inspirational to everyone in this special historic period, especially the Chinese people. Wise men would learn a few important lessons when they read this story.
I know a coalminer named Wang. Mr. Wang had worked in a mine for several decades. He followed the same routine every day. Every day when he went to work, he took a mine lamp, took the mine elevator down to the mine and started to knock lumps of coal from the coal bed. When he got off work, he took the mine elevator up, returned the mine lamp, returned home and took a shower. His home was actually nothing but a shabby shack that his wife and he had built together. He led a monotonous life like this for decades. He did hard labor in a dark and damp environment and was rarely seen in the light. Those who worked above the ground rarely knew him, let alone any government official. The special "benefit" that Mr. Wang's son would receive when he grew up was to take off his father's job and spend the rest of his life underground in the coal mine. Such is the life of a typical mineworker in China. What's different about Mr. Wang is that his life went through a 180 degree change after he retired.
The change took place in the 1980s. An official from the mine took Mr. Wang with him to Beijing, and Mr. Wang was able to purchase several passenger cars for the mine. At that time, the Chinese Communist regime had just started economic reforms. It was every official's dream to have his own chauffeur-driven company car. But there were very few cars available for purchase, and only those with special connections were allowed to purchase the cars. Naturally the fact that Mr. Wang, a lowly mineworker, had a connection that made it possible for the officials at the mine to purchase several cars in Beijing became explosive news in his area. He became a local celebrity immediately. Everyone kept talking about him. They said, "We have always thought of him as a simple-minded fellow. Never would we have expected him to have powerful connections at high places!" Suddenly leaders from all the other local organizations asked leaders at Mr. Wang's coalmine for the favor of meeting Mr. Wang and then asking Mr. Wang for favors. The leaders at all levels at the coal mine wanted to make friends with Mr. Wang. Today's people value tangible interest over everything else. They want to befriend you only when you have wealth or power. They had no idea that old Mr. Wang was blessed with good fortune because of his kindness. To tell you the truth, even Mr. Wang himself didn't expect to be blessed with good fortune one day.
During the Great Cultural Revolution of the Chinese Communist regime, a man commonly known as Old Li "made a mistake." He was banished to the mine and suffered extremely severe and humiliating persecution at the mine. Soon his health failed due to the torture. He was then locked in a small hospital in the coal mine area and left to die. Coincidentally, Mr. Wang's son was admitted to the hospital at the time and shared the same ward with Old Li. The hospital did not provide its patients with any meals, so Mr. Wang would bring food to his son every day. One day Mr. Wang noticed that no one had brought any food to Old Li, so he offered his son's leftovers and asked if he would like to have it. Old Li immediately accepted the food and devoured it. From then on, Mr. Wang asked his wife to prepare additional food for Old Li every day.
Later Mr. Wang was told that Old Li had been branded as "anti-revolutionary" and that he shouldn't make friends with him. Mr. Wang thought, "Everyone has to eat to survive. Old Li is an elderly man suffering from illnesses. He will starve to death if he isn't given any food. How could anyone be so cruel as to leave him to die? I don't care if he is an anti-revolutionary member. I must provide him with food. I am merely a lowly worker. How could anybody do anything to me? Besides, I have never been injured in any of the past major accidents in the coal mine. Heaven must be protecting a kind man such as myself. I have to follow my conscience and look after Old Li." Instead of drawing a line, Mr. Wang became even more sympathetic towards Old Li.
Over the time sympathy developed into friendship. Mr. Wang brought food to Old Li for over two months and nourished Old Li back to health. Old Li was immensely grateful to Mr. Wang for saving his life. One day, Old Li paid Mr. Wang a visit at his home. Mr. Wang received him with great hospitality. Old Li was deeply touched to see a kind, simple and ordinary couple risking their own safety and self-interest to save a complete stranger who had been branded as "anti-revolutionary." Before he took off, he revealed his true identity to them. He told them that he used to be a minister at a government ministry in Beijing. During the Great Cultural Revolution, he made a "mistake", was banished to the mine, and suffered from severe persecution that nearly killed him. The Cultural Revolution had come to an end and the Party had recently dropped all the false charges against him and reinstated his position. How would they meet each other again? Old Li gave Mr. and Mrs. Wang his home address and a secret way to contact him. They bid farewell for a very long time like the oldest of friends. Mrs. Wang even made preserved eggs and green onion pancakes for Old Li to eat on his way back to Beijing.
The news that Old Li was a central government minister was finally spread in the hospital. Everyone responded quickly and tried to kiss up to him then, but they were too late. They wished that they had looked after him while he was left alone to die in the hospital. But even if they had known the truth, they would never have expected him to be reinstated in the future. A lot of people think they are very smart, but they are actually very foolish. They are shortsighted and see only the immediate interest before them. How could they be qualified as smart? There is a Chinese saying, "Nothing is constant in life." Even a dynasty won't last forever, let alone a man's fate.
At first no one thought of Mr. Wang. But when all the officials at the mine wanted to buy company cars for themselves and realized that only people who had special connections would be allowed to buy cars, they thought of Mr. Wang and took him to Beijing. Of course they made the right move. Mr. Wang had saved Minister Li's life. Of course Minister Li would want to do something for him in return. When Mr. Wang went to Beijing, Minister Li received this elderly mineworker with warm hospitality. They chatted for a long time like the oldest of friends. Old Li not only arranged the car purchase for him, he also arranged for Mr. Wang's son to go to school in Beijing and changed his household registration to Beijing. He even arranged a large apartment in a dormitory building for Mr. Wang and his family. Mr. Wang is truly the embodiment of "being blessed with good fortune on account of his kindness." Everyone was envious, but no one could steal his good fortune because Heaven arranges each person's fortune according to his virtue. Mr. Wang was blessed with good fortune because of his genuine kindness and charitable deeds.
Why did I say that this story is bound to be inspirational to today's Chinese people at the beginning of the story? You see, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been persecuting Falun Gong for over six years since July 20, 1999. The CCP has persecuted Falun Gong practitioners under false charges and subjected Falun Gong practitioners to all kinds of cruel and inhumane torture. Some people know the truth about Falun Gong, but others do not. Those Falun Gong practitioners have been trying to tell people the truth about Falun Gong despite of the persecution and pain they are suffering from. Why do they choose to do that? It is because cultivators know the law of cause and effect very well. They also know that the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong is a complete and thorough test of each and every person's heart because it will determine each person's fate. Heaven is testing whether a person will sympathize with Falun Gong practitioners' plight, whether a person will be able to stand up and speak up for those kindhearted people, and whether a person will make the right judgment based on his good conscience while the evil CCP is still ruling China. A man's kind thought today will have a tremendous impact on his future. One thought will make a world of difference. When I see millions of people courageously withdrawing from the evil CCP and its affiliated organizations, I am truly happy for them. The truth will be revealed in the near future. In fact, a lot of people who participated in the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong have met with karmic retribution.
Now that we are on the subject, I have to ask you for a favor. Xiao Mei, would you please write a statement for all the kindhearted people in this story to withdraw from the CCP? Then I will be able to live in peace knowing that I have fulfilled my obligations to them.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2005/10/24/34329.html
