(Minghui.org) My workplace went through some major restructuring over the past few decades. The department I used to work for merged with another department, where I stayed on and worked for 10 plus more years before it split off and became its own entity. At the new company, the employees were reshuffled and assigned to different positions. Younger people were mostly moved to work in the offices. Older employees, including myself, became gatekeepers. Those who bribed the decision makers with nice meals or expensive gifts received better placements.
I felt wronged at first and was depressed the first week at my new position. I didn’t know any of my managers or co-workers. I felt embarrassed to be demoted to a gatekeeper. I had worked an office job for more than 10 years. A co-worker that I’m close with told me, “You’re fully capable and could easily handle an office job in any department. How could they put you in the guardhouse?” They suggested that I bribe the management to maybe land a better position. I seriously contemplated the idea.
But through studying the Fa, I became clear-headed—gaining benefits through bribery is neither honest nor upright. I am a cultivator of Falun Dafa, a high-level Buddha Fa. Master told us to hold ourselves to the high standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Plus, I have to be responsible to others, giving my supervisors gifts or taking them out to meals is satisfying their greed and is not good for them. Master’s teachings calmed me down. I decided to follow the course of nature and treat my gatekeeper job as seriously as any other.
I began by cleaning the guardhouse thoroughly during my shifts. The men in the department take turns working the night shifts, and many of them smoke. By the time I arrive in the mornings, the guardhouse usually smells awful, the ashtray is full, cigarette butts are scattered about, and the garbage is full. I clean it all up, wipe everything down, mop the floor, and take out the trash. I also clean the thick layer of dust on the window sills.
Some co-workers saw how much work I put into cleaning. One of them said to me, “Several people have their shifts before you, yet nobody bothers to clean. You are the only person who cleans around here.” They didn’t understand why I cared, as it is a shared space—it’s not like it’s my own office.
I told them, “I’m not cleaning to impress anybody or prove myself. I have to spend my work days here. If it’s nice and clean, I feel much better. I don’t mind doing it.” I didn’t take to heart what others said or thought of me and kept the guardhouse tidy and clean. The night shift workers sometimes even left the bed unmade, so I made the bed and cleaned the place as usual.
What’s truly incredible is that when you remain unmoved by the people and things around you, you end up changing them. There is this co-worker who works in the office adjacent to the guardhouse. He is very proud and never bothers to do any cleaning around his office. But he has always been very respectful toward me, and lately I’ve seen him mopping the floor and cleaning the window sills.
Everybody has to go through the guardhouse on their way in and out of work. Most people, when they walk by, smile or give a friendly nod or wave to greet us. However, there are always a few with long faces. They wouldn’t even make eye contact to acknowledge us as they entered the gate. I usually don’t mind them so much, except for one co-worker. I had run into him a few times in the hallway when I worked in the office. I always smiled and greeted him, but he acted as though I didn’t exist.
I didn’t pay much attention to it at first. But after a few times, I thought, “Aren’t you just a deputy chief? What’s the big deal? I don’t need anything from you. If you don’t care to acknowledge me, I’m going to ignore you, too.” But I immediately caught myself, “I can’t do that. I’m a cultivator.”
Master said,
“When you have suffered all of this, you didn’t stoop down to his level, your heart was calm, so you did not strike back when hit or talk back when cursed at.” (Lecture Given at the Conference in Sydney)
He didn’t even hit or curse at me, so why am I so bitter? Wow, my xinxing is so poor and my capacity so limited. Isn’t this a good opportunity for me to improve myself? I should thank him. I apologized to the man in my heart and thanked him.
What is amazing is that ever since then, he started smiling at me whenever he went through the gate. What’s more, he comes super early to relieve me of my duties when he works the night shift.
There is another male co-worker who works in an office, but is also on the rotation for night shifts at the guardhouse. He came in a few times after lunch, while I’m on duty, to take a nap on the bed provided for the night shift gatekeepers. He explained that he was exhausted, but didn’t have a bed in his office. One time during the winter, the heater wasn’t working well, and it was very cold in the guardhouse. Worried he’d get sick, I asked another male co-worker to put a blanket on him. He was very appreciative and has since been coming early to relieve me from work when it’s his turn to work the night shift.
When the employees order things online, their packages are often delivered to the guardhouse, usually left by the door. I sort them according to the recipients’ last names, so it is easier for people to find their packages. If a package is not picked up after a few days, I remind the person next time he or she walks by. If I don’t see them, I take the packages to their offices. A co-worker has trouble bending over, so I leave his packages on the table instead of the ground, or I just take them to his office.
Although these are not in my job description, I think as a cultivator I should always be considerate, kind, and helpful to my co-workers. In fact, it helps me get rid of my selfishness and become a better person, so I don’t mind at all.
There is a female co-worker that is very pretty, but arrogant. She never says ‘hi’ going through the gate, but I don’t mind. If she forgets to pick up her packages, I kindly remind her and sometimes drop them off at her office. One hot summer day, she bought ice cream bars for everybody in her office. When she walked by the guardhouse, she handed me one as well. That was so sweet of her, and I would have never expected it. I took the ice cream and thanked her.
This is the power of compassion—it can melt the hardest metal. This also encourages me to cultivate myself even better and be even more compassionate toward others. I try to get to work early to relieve whoever is working the night shift. We change shift at 8 a.m., half an hour before the rest of the company. I usually get there around 7:30 a.m. Whenever I’m asked why I get there so early, I tell them, “The earlier I get here, the earlier you can go home. It’s hard to get a good night's sleep at the guardhouse. Now you can go home and rest.”
My kindness was reciprocated by my co-workers. The night shift workers all started to show up early. They sometimes arrive as early as 3 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. to relieve me.
Always considering others first gradually earned me respect and trust from my co-workers and the management. Most people at work think I am a good person and like to share their personal stories and thoughts with me.
A female co-worker complained to me one time, “My boss is not considerate of us at all. He blindly follows directives from the higher-ups and makes us clock in every day. You know how some departments are very flexible and let their employees work from home some days. Our boss is so strict—it’s not fair.”
I smiled and told her, “But things aren’t always fair in life. True, your boss is pretty strict. But if you were him, and you tell your subordinates to do something and they don’t listen, how are you going to do your job as the boss? In fact, there are always a few in each department that don’t follow the rules. You don’t want to be that person, do you? Just look on the bright side—at least the company is doing well and we’re paid good salaries with benefits. Don’t you feel better now?
“Remember a couple of years ago, the company wasn’t doing as well, and work was slow. We took time off whenever we wanted. It was nice to have the flexibility, but we also didn’t get paid. Sure, we’ll have to make adjustments now that work all of a sudden has ramped up. But would you rather stay at home all day like before? What would you do? Lie on the couch watching TV or scrolling on social media endlessly? Isn’t that boring? We should be thankful to have a job that keeps us busy and gives us a reason to get up and get out of the house every day. Don’t you think?”
She chuckled and responded, “Fine. You’re right. You are the good guy.”
I asked her, “Did you forget that I cultivate Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance?” She smiled and nodded.
There is a male co-worker who, for some reason, nobody likes, yet he likes to come and chat with me whenever he has time. He gossips and complains about others, which I find very annoying. I worried that his bad reputation would make me look bad, too. Plus, he is a man and I am a woman. I didn’t think it was appropriate that he’s at the guardhouse all the time. Then it occurred to me one day, “Does he know the truth about Dafa?”
The next time I saw him, I asked if he had quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations. To my surprise, he said he and his wife had quit three years ago. In fact, he thinks very highly of Falun Dafa. You really can’t judge a book by its cover, as they say.
I talked to him more in-depth about the CCP and its evil nature. I said, “The CCP promotes atheism, but its top officials believe in and worship all kinds of higher beings. They just don’t want people to practice spirituality. During the pandemic, those makeshift hospitals built to house COVID patients were all named after deities and mythological creatures. Those CCP officials have done so much evil, yet they hoped the higher beings would bless them. Isn’t that absurd? They forced people to get the COVID vaccine like they were testing lab rats. So many have suffered from severe side effects. Disasters nowadays are not only the work of nature but also man-made. This pandemic is targeting those who have ties with the Party.”
I told him how the CCP murdered the protesting students in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and staged the Tiananmen Square self-immolation hoax to slander Falun Dafa. I told him that cutting ties and separating oneself from the CCP can ensure one’s safety.
I further explained to him that Falun Dafa is the Buddha Fa, that practitioners’ sacred mission is to save sentient beings. I told him to remember the auspicious phrases, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance is good.” He was very receptive and listened attentively. I realized the reason he kept coming to chat with me was to hear more about Dafa and learn the truth in depth. Although he had quit the Party, he didn’t know what Falun Dafa really is and the truth surrounding the persecution. I felt ashamed of my contempt toward him. I shouldn’t have judged him. Sentient beings are precious lives that have been deceived by the CCP.
Being a gatekeeper also provided me with the opportunity to talk to my co-workers. I’ve clarified the truth and helped many of them quit the CCP and its youth organizations.
These are some of my experiences working as a gatekeeper. None of it is that big of a deal, only small and mundane. Yet in these small incidents and interactions, I continuously improved my character, worked on getting rid of my attachment to self, and learned to be more considerate and tolerant. As a humble gatekeeper, I’ve gained much respect. This serves as a testimony to the power of the Buddha Fa. It can purify a person’s soul and, in turn, change the people around them.
My sincere gratitude to Master for saving me.