(Clearwisdom.net) In our district, there is a cotton factory and a brewery that are separated by only a wall. The cotton factory used to have several dozen employees who practiced Falun Gong before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its persecution of the practice. The manager was fully aware that these people did not have any political agenda. He also knew that they were honest, diligent, and good employees that did not seek recognition or self-gain.
When the CCP began its suppression of Falun Gong in July 1999, the manager had to choose between his conscience and his job security. He ended up choosing the latter. In fact, he had the security division of the factory persecute those employees who persevered in practicing Falun Gong. Within several years, over a dozen Falun Gong practitioners had been fired or sentenced to forced labor camp or prison. One female employee was the most severely persecuted. After two years in a forced labor camp, she was sentenced to nine years in prison for practicing Falun Gong. She remains in prison to this day. Because of her uncompromising belief in Falun Gong, she continues to suffer from the most horrendous tortures in prison. As for other practitioners, they were subjected to extortion and incarceration in the forced labor camp before they were fired. The cotton factory persecuted its employees for practicing Falun Gong, and it subsequently went bankrupt.
The manager was actually the very first person who actively persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in the district. Practitioners who worked for the factory allegedly suffered from severe persecution compared to other organizations in the same district. On April 7, 2008, workers went on strike, which ultimately caused the factory to declare bankruptcy. The fact that the factory failed to pay for its workers' retirement insurance yet continued to deduct pay from those same workers' monthly paychecks was the alleged cause of the strike.
A brewery was located on the other side of the wall. The brewery did not support the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong.
In September 2003, the local State Security Team of the Public Security Bureau arrested a Falun Gong practitioner working as an engineer at the brewery. When the news reached the head of the brewery, he used all of his resources to rescue the practitioner. At the time he could not possibly afford to negotiate with the authorities, but he used all of his connections to secure the practitioner's release.
After his tireless efforts, the engineer was released. However, this practitioner eventually decided to quit because he could not bear the repeated harassment and persecution, and he did not want to cause the brewery any more trouble. He left home and went into hiding. Nevertheless, it is most commendable that the head of a brewery had the courage and morality to stand up for a Falun Gong practitioner when the persecution was at its peak. His action manifested courage and morality.
There is a Chinese saying, “One should treat others the way you treat yourself.” In a sense, choosing the way you treat others is choosing your own future. Falun Gong is a Buddha School cultivation practice. It is by no means a coincidence that, while the cotton factory has long been out of business, the brewery remains in good standing to this day.
Category: Perspective
