Thursday September 20, 2001
From August 30, 2001 to September 2, 2001, the annual folk festival was held in Odense, Denmark's second biggest city. Falun Dafa practitioners agreed to meet up at this place to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to kind-hearted citizens and expose the evil of the persecution, as well as appeal for a SOS urgent rescue to save the persecuted practitioners in China and to collect signatures for a petition.
During the festival, the citizens of Odense were different from their usual selves. They came out of their houses and participated in various activities. During the activity we held, at this time, to let others know the truth about Falun Dafa, we met more people than at any other time. Although the people were there on a joyous celebration day, when they saw the photographs of practitioners being brutally tortured, they still, without prior consensus, stopped in their tracks and carefully scrutinized and read, then took their own initiative to sign their names on the signature petition form. Sometimes, people waiting to sign the petition queued in long lines and a number of signature books were not enough to meet the demand.
During this truth clarifying activity, some minor incidents touched me and are unforgettable:
There was a percussion group that was performing near our activity spot. The noisy and loud music almost drowned out our gentle exercise music and caused some disruption to our exercise demonstration. They said that they had been performing there for over ten years already and they would perform there everyday for the next few days. We took the loud and noisy music as a xinxing test [test to improve our heart/mind nature] and were unmoved by the disruption. At the same time, we handed the SOS flyers to them and chatted with them and clarified the truth about Falun Gong to them. On the second day, we found that this group of people took their own initiative to change their performance location to avoid disturbing us. They created for us a quiet environment. I saw their kindness and sympathy and silent support.
There was an old lady who stood in front of the pictures showing the practitioners being tortured and brutally killed. She looked at the pictures one by one. Then she wept and signed her name. There was another lady who, when I was telling her the story of Qin Yongjie [a Chinese practitioner who was tortured to death], had tears rolling down her cheeks even before I had finished the story. She said, "Don't continue, my heart cannot take this kind of pain." She signed her name, wiped her tears and walked away quietly.
There was also a young girl who solemnly asked her mom what had happened. This kind-hearted mom with a pained heart, explained to her the tragic and brutal incidents that happened in a far away country. The little girl used her childish, untrained handwriting to sign her name.
Every time I met with situations like this, my heart was always deeply moved and stunned by their kindness. I cannot help but think of my Chinese compatriots who are poisoned and blinded from the truth by the evil propaganda. The kindness and righteousness of Denmark's citizens is in stark contrast to the coldness, indifference, and numbness of my Chinese compatriots in which I see profoundly the degeneration of human morality. My Chinese compatriots, many people amongst them, have previously been kind, honest and upright, full of righteousness and sympathy. Since when did they become so indifferent and selfish? Under the pressure of a tyrannical regime, people gradually shrank and cowered in their little holes and stopped caring for others. Some, even upon seeing the suffering of others, not only feel unmoved but even gloat at others' misfortune. After experiencing so many lies and being fooled, paying the price of the lessons of a few generations, people no longer believe that there are good people in this world and that there still exist righteousness and conscience in this world. While the Danish people opened their pure hearts and listened to us tell our stories, we, Chinese people, only glared, suspicious of everything. In the face of sincerity, we still want to forcefully dig out the smallest trace of deceit. From the indifference and selfishness of such people, I saw scars in their hearts that are covered by layers upon layers of dirt. People in the midst of mazes and difficulties have lost their precious true selves.
Thinking back on before I knew about Falun Dafa, wasn't my heart nature also so lowly and my moral values decadent?
While I am disheartened by my fellow Chinese countrymen, I am at the same time comforted by the kindness of the Danish people. I always cannot stop crying when I think of the boundless, great compassion of Teacher Li's words and actions that have pulled me out of the mud. Yes, Teacher's advice with earnest words and good intentions to awaken every living being that is lost, to inject "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" into their hearts.
Now on this earth there are still many people that are like what I used to be -- their kind thoughts have vanished, righteousness forgotten and their original nature has been polluted. But their lives are treasured. It is important to use great compassion to offer a better way to the people in the world, to awaken the conscience and kind thoughts of people.
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Reprinted from Clear Harmony Net
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