A Young Practitioner's Understanding on the U.S. General Election

(Minghui.org) Nearly all my friends oppose President Trump, but when I told them the facts about Dafa and the persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), they all understood and were very sympathetic. I felt that I shouldn't let my friends think that I am pro-Trump, otherwise not only would they not understand me, it might even have a negative impact on Dafa. I thought, “Let them support whichever political party they want.” I avoided talking about politics or the election.

After the U.S. election began in early November, the Minghui editorial board published the notice “We Must Know and Be Clearheaded about Our Principles and Fundamentals.” Master also published a new poem, “On the General Election”, on the Epoch Times and Minghui websites. Practitioners realized that this was not just a political election, but also a battle between good and evil.

A Subtle Poison

The entire education system in the U.S. is heavily left-leaning and the mainstream media distorts the facts. So after the media presumed to declare the other candidate the winner, my friends began posting on social media things like: “With the other candidate elected, there is finally hope for America.” Reading their words I thought that it was impossible to get my friends and classmates to accept the fact that President Trump is actually the hope to save America. I kept thinking, my friends support Dafa and understand the CCP's persecution of human rights and how it spread the virus, why are they so unclear on this election?

I had the same feeling when I thought I had almost finished answering all the questions on an exam and was about to hand in the paper—suddenly an extra test question came up, and it was the one I didn't know how to answer. A lot of negative emotions came over me, and I felt powerless and desperate—I did not know what to do or how to clarify the truth. I couldn't help crying after reading text messages that my best friend sent me. I was afraid that I couldn't help her understand the truth and she wouldn't be saved.

After I calmed down, I realized the reason I felt so bad was because I didn't want them to have a bad opinion of me. In fact, this was an attachment to comfort and ease. When I was in China, I had to send forth righteous thoughts before clarifying the facts to my classmates, and I had to choose a safe place to talk. Sometimes I had to talk to a person several times, and I still was not understood. But after I came to the U.S., clarifying the truth seemed a lot easier. Almost all of my friends immediately understood, and most of them were very supportive. Unknowingly, it expanded my attachment to ease. Faced with the possibility that it might not be so easy to tell people the facts now, I was reluctant to do so, and this attachment to ease and comfort made me feel powerless.

How Firm is Our Faith?

The other day I was deeply touched while reading the Minghui article “Eliminate the Hidden Persecution”. I realized that my negative emotions were caused by my lack of faith in Master and Dafa. When I knew that I needed to tell my friends the truth about the election, I kept using human thinking to figure out acceptable ways to tell them. I became even more desperate after my human thinking told me that nothing would work.

These negative emotions also made me reluctant to study the Fa. I wanted to watch videos on the Internet every day to paralyze myself and not to think about these “upsetting things.” Actually as a Dafa disciple, our wisdom comes from the Fa. If we have enough righteous thoughts then we can definitely do the impossible.

Master said when answering questions,

Question: There are some Chinese people overseas who basically understand the truth about the persecution in China, and they've expressed their sympathy and their condemnation of the evil, but they don't believe in Dafa or that Master can save people, and instead, they even say some things that are disrespectful of Master.

Teacher: Then don't talk to them about how Master saves people. You can just stop at talking about the persecution. Don't talk about things at such high levels. If people ask about it and they can understand, then you can talk to them about it, but don't talk at a high level.

People can't understand cultivators, and you can't explain things clearly in a few words, so the result will be the opposite of what was intended. Don't talk at a high level. If in one shot you want to tell him all the Fa-principles you've understood while cultivating you'll scare him. You've come to this stage of understanding only after so many years of cultivation, and you want him to instantly reach a level as high as yours? How could that be possible? Even for you, you cultivated up step by step, so you can imagine what it's like for him, an everyday person listening to the truth. And what's more, he's somebody who was poisoned. So really make sure you don't rush things.(“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IV)

I realized that if we can't change people's minds to support Trump, we should take it one step at a time, starting with the election fraud since there is evidence of cheating.

If we have the wish, Master will arrange the opportunity. I went to my friend's house for dinner. I was hesitant to bring up the election, because both she and her sister were very supportive of the other candidate. That day happened to be their traditional Indian Festival of Lights—I didn't know if talking about the election would disturb the festive atmosphere. When we had nearly finished eating, her sister suddenly asked me about the Hong Kong National Security Law. So I began talking about the CCP's persecution of human rights in Hong Kong, its infiltration of the U.S., its cover up of the virus which led to a global pandemic, and the fact that it manipulated votes behind the scenes to interfere with the U.S. election. They all nodded and said the CCP has infiltrated the U.S. I was surprised to hear that, because a week ago when I talked to my friend about this topic, she said that I was overreacting, and that it was impossible for the United States to become a communist country.

I also realized that I always wondered what the standard for salvation of ordinary people is. I'd think: “This friend watched Shen Yun, and that one signed the petition against the forced organ harvesting in China, have they all met the standard?” After the election I began wondering if the “standard” is now to support President Trump, and if the old standards still counted. But then I realized that no one knows what the last thing will be. As Dafa disciples, we can only do our best in the limited time remaining. Thinking about “standard” is actually also an attachment to ease—I can rest once I reach the standard.

When I clarified the facts in China, I was always frightened before I spoke. I reminded myself of practitioners' sharing articles on Minghui when they said it’s Master who really saves people, we just move our mouths. This gave me the courage to do it. In fact the situation is the same now. If we have the determination, let go of all our attachments to emotions and worries, and truly believe in Master and the Fa, then Master will create opportunities for us and help us. We cannot do this with ordinary people's methods.

At the end of the Fa-rectification, I deeply feel that there are still many things I have not done well, and I hope I can do the three things well in the limited time left and not slack off again.