In modern times, every country has a comprehensive, complex set of laws and regulations. Even walking, smoking and pet ownership are regulated. Nowadays, there are so many laws that nobody can clearly memorize them all, so much so that almost every human action can potentially be a violation of some sort.
In spite of this, social and ethnic conflicts have become ever more rampant all over the world. This is especially true in China, where societal problems and crimes have become more serious and more intense, belying Jiang's claim that "the present is China's best historical period in terms of the rule of law." Even as more prisons are being built and more anti-theft devices are put into use, violent crimes are on the rise and corrupt government officials, whose insatiable greed cannot be checked by sporadic capital punishment, continue to be found everywhere. Most unbelievable of all is Jiang and his accomplices' openly trampling the Constitution and the laws in their persecution of Dafa disciples, who live by the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They have violated numerous laws in their persecution of Dafa disciples, such as murder and unjust arrest. This brings up a question: why is it that the legal system is losing its ability to restrain people even as it becomes more comprehensive and complete? Let's seek the root cause by examining its origins.
As laws have evolved over the course of time, they are surprisingly similar in various countries. For instance, the following are generally accepted to be crimes: theft, robbery, rape, fraud, etc. This derives from human "customs," which also serve as a common standard for morality or code of conduct for human beings. In other words, morality is the foundation upon which laws are based. Conversely, laws exist to uphold human morality. It is also their primary function to play the role of monitoring and upholding people's moral qualities by rewarding goodness and punishing evil.
Looking back on human history, it is apparent that mankind, particularly the Chinese, have experienced an increased appetite for material comforts. As a result, people's innate, benevolent natures have been buried, and their evil or demonic natures have come to predominate, which has led to a continual decline in human morality. Jealousy, competitiveness and deception render social conflicts almost unresolvable. When morality started to decline, mankind was at a loss on how to deal with it. They discovered a solution -- laws, utilizing forceful, sometimes violent actions to discipline human beings and to uphold human morality. The ancient people created laws in hopes that it could be used as a tool to bring consistent, noble morality to humankind. The consequences of their actions, however, ran precisely against their wishes.
Looking back on the history of the development of laws, it becomes clear that the moral code that dwells in people's hearts -- the essence of humanity -- has always been of primary importance. Conversely, for a person with little sense of morality, laws -- no matter how many are put in place -- mean nothing. Are those armed bank robbers and corrupt officials ignorant of the laws? Of course not! The fundamental reason for their behavior is their lack of morality. Furthermore, this problem will not go away when violence and wickedness are answered in kind as punishments. Is Jiang ignorant of the law? How can he dare to defy the Constitution and the laws to persecute Falun Gong? The answer, in short, is that the loss of human morality is the fundamental reason for the loss of the restraining power of laws.
Throughout 5000 years of civilized existence, mankind has been persistently looking for the true meaning of life and an eternal blessing. Where is the solution? Mr. Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Dafa, has pointed mankind in the right direction: rectifying the human heart and emphasizing morality. In "Remaking Mankind," Mr. Li Hongzhi says, "Numerous social problems of various sorts are surfacing in the world and crises lurk everywhere. Yet humans do not know to find the causes within their own nature. After the degeneration of morality, humans are unable to see that the terrible human heart is the poisonous root of social problems, and so they always foolishly try to find the way out in social phenomena. As a result, human beings never realize that all the so-called 'ways out' that they create for themselves are precisely them sealing themselves off. As such, there are even fewer ways out, and the new problems that follow are even worse. Thus, with much difficulty humans again find a tiny space and take new measures, thereby closing this remaining bit of space once again. As this repeats itself over a period of time, there is no room left and they can no longer find a way out, nor can they see the truth beyond the enclosed space. Human beings begin to suffer from all that they have created for themselves. This is the final way in which the universe eliminates lives." Personally, I believe this is the most profound explanation of human problems and their most fundamental solution.
Because they practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and upgrade their morality, Dafa disciples move the people close to them towards benevolence in their hearts -- which has resulted in true stability in their environment. In addition, the grand spread of Dafa in nearly 60 countries around the world bears witness to Dafa's scientific nature, the validity of its principles and its incomparable glory. Mankind, please treasure it! The magnificent cosmic truth is right in front of you, and this very moment represents a most precious, predestined chance to realize the value of your life.
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
