(Minghui.org) When the Minghui editorial board published the article “What All Dafa Disciples Must Know,” on June 30, 2018, most practitioners in my area uninstalled WeChat. However, some of them used Telegram for convenience. I was one of them.

On November 3 that year, Minghui published another editorial, “Paying Attention to Security and Safety Is Essential,” which asked practitioners not to use Telegram, or other social media apps that posed security risks. I then uninstalled Telegram, but some local practitioners kept using it.

However, I reinstalled Telegram in 2020 for the convenience of contacting fellow practitioners during the pandemic. It wasn’t until recently that I noticed something was wrong when a fellow practitioner who had been out of town for many years came back, discovered the problem, and spoke with us.

Why did I do this? When I looked inward I realized I had a lot of attachments. When I first began using the app, I was seeking convenience in communicating with other practitioners. But gradually, I became attached to my cell phone. I carried it everywhere and all the time. Whenever I had time, I browsed the Internet, and I even put my cell phone by my side when I studied the Fa for fear of missing a message. I was totally controlled by it.

In fact, regarding the issue of cell phone security, Master gave us very clear guidance and Minghui also reminded us multiple times. However, I couldn’t let go of my attachment; instead, I looked for all kinds of excuses and even misinterpreted Minghui’s reminder: what Minghui mentioned is the coordination of those large-scale, online collective Fa-study and sending righteous thoughts, while I only participated in small-scale communications, so I felt there should be no problem. I tried to trick myself into thinking that this app was safe and that the evil forces could not monitor me as long as I had strong righteous thoughts. I told myself that many practitioners used it and were not persecuted.

Of course, under normal circumstances, there’s nothing wrong with convenience and quickly getting things done for the purpose of validating the Fa. But it is indeed a problem if I simply try to make things easy without considering the safety risk.

What I was doing is just like running a red light. We often run red lights when crossing the street. We usually don’t get into trouble, but it’s very dangerous. Furthermore, even if it’s not dangerous, it’s still a violation of traffic rules—and a violation of the law. Using social media apps while hoping that nothing happens is just like running red lights in cultivation.

As Minghui reminds us, paying attention to cell phone security is being responsible for ourselves and fellow practitioners. For those who do not pay attention to security, once you are persecuted by the old forces who seize this loophole, what is your excuse? Are you willing to pay for the lives you risk?

I want to remind fellow practitioners that cultivation is serious, and that any attachment can be an obstacle on our path of cultivation. We should stop making excuses for “running the red light” and be truly responsible for ourselves and others.