(Minghui.org) In 2022, my wife, mother-in-law, our children and I were driving along the highway toward the city where I work. The children said they were getting hungry. I often travel this route and I knew the next service area was small and it wouldn’t offer any food. There was a highway exit not far ahead, so we decided to take it and look for a restaurant.
Although I was very familiar with the highway I’d never taken this exit and had no idea what the surrounding area was like. As soon as we left the highway, we found ourselves in a desolate place. Within a few hundred meters, the paved road gave way to a worn, uneven dirt path. I drove around for a bit and, judging from the layout, it seemed this exit had once led to a small town or a large village. Signs showed that there had once been restaurants, barbershops, supermarkets, and other businesses, yet everything was now closed. Some storefronts were so neglected that their doors had fallen off. Scenes of formerly populated villages now standing empty have, unfortunately, become quite common under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) administration.
In the opposite direction, there was a factory. Since my work involves selling equipment to factories like this one, I figured that, having already exited the highway and with nowhere to eat, I might as well stop by and visit this potential client. When I reached the gatehouse, I chatted briefly with the elderly gatekeeper. He offered to give me a contact number so I could reach their management. After I spoke with their leadership, they expressed a strong interest in my products and said they would send someone out to take me in.
While I was waiting, I took the opportunity to share the facts about Falun Dafa with the elderly gatekeeper, encouraging him to remember the phrases: “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” The old man gave me a strange smile and said, “Are you trying to persuade me, too, young man? My second daughter practices Falun Dafa, and she currently holds a high-ranking official position within the municipal government. Every year during the Chinese New Year holidays, she comes home and tries to persuade me to quit the CCP. I’ve always adamantly refused, so there’s really no need for you to try and persuade me either.”
I was astonished to hear that he had such a background and even more amazed to learn that a practitioner was able to maintain righteous thoughts and actions while working in a leadership role within a government institution. In the past, whenever I encountered someone as stubborn as this elderly gentleman, I didn’t press the issue. Instead, I just offered a gentle reminder and encouraged the person to listen to all sides to see the facts clearly. But this time, I felt I should cherish this karmic connection and explain more.
So, I asked him, “Your daughter has been serving in a leadership position. Why are you still working here as a security guard?”
He replied, “I am not used to sitting idle, and I believe that spending money I’ve earned myself is more satisfying than spending money given to me by my children.”
Just then, a person guided me to go inside to conduct a technical consultation. Throughout the meeting, I kept wondering why the old man at the gate hadn’t yet quit the CCP. After I finished the consultation in about an hour, a sudden thought flashed through my mind as I walked out: “Saving face.” My eyes lit up with the reason. Since the boss was walking me out, I did not stop at the guardhouse, but I greeted the old man politely before returning to my car.
I discussed the situation with my wife and mother-in-law, who are both practitioners. I originally planned to wait until my next visit to talk to the old man again, but my wife reminded me that he may not be on duty next time. I still felt hesitant and wanted my mother-in-law to accompany me, thinking that since she and the man were of similar age, it might be easier for them to communicate. But my-mother-in law said, “This is likely your karmic relationship. Maintain righteous thoughts and talk to him again.”
While they stayed in the car, sending righteous thoughts to support me, I walked back to the guardhouse. The old man seemed pleased to see me return and asked how my meeting with the boss went. After a moment of small talk, I got straight to the point, “Sir, after all these years, what is the reason you still haven’t quit?”
He shook his head and said, “You just won’t give up, will you? I’ve read all your materials. You make some valid points, but I simply cannot quit.”
I replied, “It is a karmic connection for us to meet. I was about to leave, but something in my heart told me it wouldn’t be right, so I came back. You already understand the facts, and you know the difference between right and wrong. Why not take a moment to think it through? If you decide to quit, I can help you. If you decide not to, I won’t continue to explain further. I had not planned to take this highway exit today. From a distance, I noticed your factory, which happens to be related to my line of work. Through a series of coincidences, I came here to meet you. If even one detail had been missed, our paths never would have crossed.”
The old man remained silent, although I could see he was conflicted. Remembering the thought about “saving face,” I continued, “Sir, I can help you quit. You can keep it entirely to yourself and use a pseudonym that no one in your family will know. The divine sees what is in a person’s heart.”
After I finished speaking, the old man replied, “No need to use a pseudonym. I am giving you my real name to quit the CCP for me.”
I wrote down his name and told him, “Sir, congratulations on stepping toward a bright and promising future.” He laughed and shook my hand firmly as we parted, and walked with me for quite a distance to see me off.
Through this experience, I realized that practitioners must cherish every karmic relationship. Master will surely arrange for the people we are meant to save to cross our paths. Furthermore, we must study the Fa well and cultivate ourselves diligently. Without the assistance of the fellow practitioners in my family, I might have missed the opportunity to help this predestined elderly man.
Category: Clarifying the Truth
