(Minghui.org) I am a young Falun Dafa practitioner living in Japan, and I’d like to share my cultivation experiences from my daily work.
Judge Right and Wrong By the Fa
My job includes both day and night shifts. I send an email to clock out. On weekends, the night-shift staff arrives earlier than usual, so once the shift handover is complete, the day-shift staff can leave about an hour early.
Before leaving, the day-shift staff either ask a night-shift colleague to send the clock-out email on their behalf when the time comes or schedule it to be sent at the appropriate time.
This seems to be an unspoken rule that the team leader tacitly accepts.
When a senior colleague told me about this “benefit” on my first day, I realized I was being tested. According to the Falun Dafa principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, this behavior was clearly deceptive and didn’t align with Truthfulness.
I didn’t want to criticize others, but I decided to do my best to conduct myself in accordance with Dafa’s principles. Whenever I could leave work early, I stayed until the end of my shift.
At first, my coworkers didn’t understand my decision, and a senior colleague even told me, “No need to worry. Everyone here does it this way.”
If I hadn’t been practicing Falun Dafa, I might have been persuaded to leave early. After all, even the team leader allowed it, so there was nothing to worry about.
However, no matter how I looked at it, the practice did not align with Truthfulness. Something does not become right just because everyone does it. To avoid misunderstandings, I told coworkers I wanted to use the extra time to read and study. Over time, they grew accustomed to it.
One day, near the end of a shift, a coworker quietly asked me why I insisted on doing things that way. I replied, “I just feel it is the right thing to do.” He said nothing, but I could tell my answer had touched him.
Another senior colleague suggested I use an app to automatically schedule my clock-out email. I smiled and said, “Yes, I know this app, but I just want to follow the rules.” He then turned to a nearby colleague and praised me for taking the rules seriously.
A colleague from China initially didn’t understand my behavior and asked whether I had any particular concerns. After observing me for a while, he stopped questioning me. Recently, I noticed that he has also been staying until the end of his shift.
I believe my coworkers may have been quietly observing my actions and reflecting on their own behavior. I do not expect my actions to change others, but I hope to keep distinguishing right from wrong according to Dafa’s principles and to persist in doing what is right.
I have come to realize that in an era when moral standards are rapidly declining, it is truly difficult to distinguish right from wrong, and to maintain sound judgment without the guidance of Falun Dafa.
Reflections on Teamwork
As a newcomer to the company, I had a lot to learn from hands-on experience.
My Japanese senior colleagues sometimes assigned me basic tasks, even though some were so simple that they could complete them quickly themselves. I surmised that they were helping me, as a new employee, become familiar with the work as quickly as possible through repeated practice.
Once, a senior Chinese team member who was very capable and efficient took on almost all the tasks, big and small. Whenever I asked if there was anything I could do, he always gave me the same reply, “It’s OK, I’ll take care of it.”
As a Chinese person, I understood this behavior to reflect the Chinese virtues of diligence, competence, and efficiency. Usually, people do this out of good intentions, not wanting to trouble others with tasks they can handle themselves.
However, when I put myself in the other person’s shoes, I realized that this approach might unintentionally affect them by depriving new team members of opportunities to gain hands-on experience and to become familiar with the work.
No matter how simple or complex a task is, every opportunity to practice is valuable for new team members. It also helps them build confidence, learn to collaborate, and grow through teamwork.
When I reflected on this Chinese colleague’s behavior, I saw myself. I have always believed that being capable is a good thing, and I often took on too much. I used to think that doing so would spare others the trouble.
In reality, however, my behavior concealed my desire to prove myself and show others how capable I was. I realized I shouldn’t overemphasize my abilities. As a member of a team, I should understand others, remain humble, step back when appropriate, and give people a chance to contribute.
Interestingly, after I looked inward and gained this understanding, the Chinese senior colleague approached me to ask if I could help with a business matter. I thought that maybe I was moving in the right direction and that everyone around me was here to help me cultivate.
These are my personal understandings at my current level. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Thank you, Master.
Thank you, fellow practitioners.
