PureInsight | February 16, 2009
[PureInsight.org] A Harvard University study demonstrated that an individual person’s happiness is actually an outcome of group actions and largely depends on whether a person’s friends are happy or not. The study also found that a person’s happiness will propagate to three degrees of separation like ripples on the surface of water. Moreover, the study found that the power of happiness is subject to time and space: the closer in proximity one is to the happy person, the higher the chance that he or she will be influenced by the other person’s happiness. By living next door to a happy person, one’s rate of becoming happy will increase by 34 percent. People who have deep social ties and live in the center of social networks are normally happier than those who live on the fringes. Furthermore, happiness can take at least one year to spread!
From this study, we can see that positive messages that are beautiful, honest, kind and tolerant, such as decent behavior, upright thoughts, integrity, and high morality will spread to people and objects around you and change everything toward the positive direction just like happiness does.
Actually, the ancient people were much smarter than us and long ago realized the power of morality and courtesy as well as their effectiveness in being carried on and absorbed. They therefore developed idioms such as “acquire imperceptibly” and the “influence of surroundings” which have been passed down for thousands of years. The ancient people conducted themselves this way, and they passed down this rich cultural heritage of morality and virtue. Even in war, both sides knew that a benevolent army would be invincible because it could win a victory without firing a shot. At that time, everyone knew of these invisible moral laws through their enormous power of moral enlightenment and by winning over people through their hearts.
Everybody knows the story of Mencius’ Mother Moving Three Times. Realizing that the surroundings and environment were far more important and powerful in influencing a child than preaching and setting examples, she didn’t stop moving until they lived near the Academic Center of Zou City. She saw that the area was full of scholars and that their noble bearing, calm manners and graceful behavior would influence the residents imperceptibly, especially children, who were gathering underneath big trees imitating the scholars bowing to each other. They looked solemn and serene, and their acts were quite real. She was finally satisfied and settled down in that area. This story tells us how important the environment is.
In the agricultural society of ancient China, most women were totally illiterate because it was believed that “a woman without talent is virtuous.” But this belief didn’t stop women from doing a good job in bringing up their children because according to ancient sayings, traditional values, family reputations and paternal instructions had been deeply imprinted into everyone’s mind and melded into their everyday conduct and behavior. These examples had been passed down imperceptibly in words and parables from the older generations. At that time, it was rather serious if someone was considered to lack family discipline. This was the best example of teaching moral values without words.
Today, you will notice that there are Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) practitioners in more than 80 countries and regions around the world, who may be your relatives, your friends or acquaintances. When you haven’t seen them for a while, you will be amazed by the changes in them: higher morality, better spirit, good health, a rosy face, more energy, and a noble bearing… all these changes may be noticeable to you—their friends and relatives, neighbors and coworkers.
When you ask them the reason, they will happily tell you that after practicing Falun Dafa and conducting themselves according to the principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” it enabled them to become healthy and happy. They will introduce Falun Dafa to you right away and you will want to learn and practice and tell more people about it. Just like ripples, the crowd will get larger and larger. It was in precisely this way that in ten short years, more than 100 million people took up the practice of Falun Dafa.
They’re calm and ceaseless, quietly spreading the seeds of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” and the moral values associated with it. In every corner and every location on the earth, these Falun Dafa practitioners have been validating “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” with their personal changes. They’re striving to become better and better people and are inspiring others to come along so that more people can benefit from the mental and physical health given by Falun Dafa.
Therefore, many people will find that they like to talk with Dafa practitioners and are willing to take their suggestions. More people will realize that they are drawn to the practitioners and would like to get close to them and share their feelings with them. Then, their resentments, overreactions and bad thoughts will be gone. This is the modern day equivalent of the silent instruction on morality and inducements of conduct that the ancients had. Falun Dafa is truly the Great Way and truth for obtaining ultimate health.
Are you interested? Do you want to become a healthy person? You are welcome to become a seed of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” and spread this Great Way! After starting from a small ripple of truth, and then gradually become larger, it will slowly spread to the entire world.
December 15, 2008
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2008/12/15/56600.html
