(Minghui.org) Not long ago, my husband opened a small retail shop. At first, he didn't care whether he made money or not. Then he started to get very excited when he made just a little bit of money. He did not seem very reasonable.

I told him that a rational person should not get excited over such small things. But, he did not listen to me or change his behavior. One night, I woke up and wanted to study the Fa. My husband was sound asleep and I thought about how naive he was.

As I was thinking about his unusual behavior, I suddenly recognized my own shortcoming.

A few days earlier, I clarified the facts about Falun Gong to a family member of a fellow practitioner. I had been told that she was very stubborn. After we finished talking, she was full of complements about how clearly and eloquently I spoke. She even joked that I must have been educated at a major university. Her compliments made me feel good.

These compliments kept popping up in my head. I felt that I had done a very good job of clarifying the facts and liked thinking about it. Although I did not tell anyone, I knew that I was attached to the elation of showing off. However, I did not know how to stop it. I tried to send forth righteous thoughts, but it didn't help.

In fact, my husband's behavior was a reflection of my own behavior. Similarly to my enjoying the praise, he really enjoyed the feeling of even a small achievement.

Teacher said:

“Divine Being: These problems have already become very serious. It would be good if they could manage to search within themselves for the things that they have been able to find in others.” (“A Dialogue with Time” from Essentials for Further Advancement)

I thought that my husband was naive, but Teacher helped me see that I was also naive.

Local practitioners have praised my ability to explain the facts about Falun Gong to people, and I was proud of that. However, had I not read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party or understood the truth about Falun Gong, I may also have been fooled by the Chinese Communist Party like so many Chinese citizens have been.

In fact, it is Teacher who has provided us with all of the necessary tools to help people make a sound decision.

Personal pride is a human notion, and it was with me all these years. Through my husband's behavior, I realized that I should let go of this human notion.

When I came to this understanding, the personal pride I had been feeling left me. The next day, my husband's behavior returned to normal.