(Clearwisdom.net) The saying, “Having an elderly person at home is like having a treasure trove,” aptly describes the respect and care that civilized societies have towards the elderly.
Although Eastern and Western societies have totally different cultural backgrounds, the respect and care shown for the elderly is the same, the only exception being Chinese communist controlled China.
The following are a few examples of what I mean.
A Practical Solution to Mind and Body Health
As the saying goes, “Healthy parents raise happy children.” Elderly peoples' biggest worry is the weakening of their bodies and the deterioration of their health. That is why they, along with their children, are always looking for ways to increase their longevity.
The spiritual discipline of Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, has proven to be a practical solution for millions of its practitioners.
The practice of Falun Gong is a high-level mind and body cultivation practice, based on the characteristic of the universe: Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance. Since May 1992, when Master Li Hongzhi first took Falun Gong public, over 100 million people in over 100 countries have experienced Falun Gong's powerful healing effects, including the elderly.
The Elderly Benefit from the Practice of Falun Gong
Paul Christian Andersen in an interview
Eighty-two-year-old Denmark resident, Paul Christian Andersen, suffered from a severe case of mercury poisoning during a medical mishap when he was a child. His years of suffering ended in 1998, when he read the book, Zhuan Falun, and took up the practice of Falun Gong.
His face soon became rosy and his snow white hair returned to its natural light-brown color. He felt like he had found his way home. Paul said that he had “been waiting for sixty-five years” for this to happen.
Ninety-five-year-old Hanna
Hanna, a German grandmother and retired primary school teacher, is over ninety years old. Her rosy face and clear voice makes her look like she is only in her seventies. Before she heard of Falun Dafa, Hanna's body was riddled with illness.
In August 1998, following the recommendation of her Chinese doctor, she read Zhuan Falun and started to practice Falun Gong. Shortly after, all symptoms of her illnesses disappeared. Before practicing Falun Gong, her relationship with her daughter was very tense. They even stopped seeing each other for a while. After practicing for some time, Hanna became a lighthearted, lovely granny. Now, her daughter often visits her with her grandchildren.
Ninety-two-year-old Grandmother's Back Straightens
Granny threading a needle
Ninety-two-year-old granny doing house chores, easily holding an ax
Seven years ago in the Alishan mountain area of Taiwan, a ninety-two-year-old, hunchbacked grandmother started practicing Falun Gong. Today, not only is her back straight, but she can now chop wood with an ax and even thread a needle without eye-glasses! Her grandson, Liu Chongpei, said, “After practicing Falun Gong, granny became healthy and strong. Her results are typical of how other elderly people in her village have benefited after taking up the practice of Falun Gong.”
Her voice is strong and she can quickly thread a needle. “When my daughter-in-law was not able to thread a needle, my grandson would tell her to ask granny for help,” chuckled granny.
She excitedly explained, “My hunchback gradually straightened after I began practicing Falun Gong seven years ago. My greatest joy is seeing my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, all practicing Falun Gong.”
Ms. Chen Jinyin
Eighty-two-year-old, Mr. Chen Jinying, has been practicing Falun Dafa for seven years. He said, “I had been plagued with stomach problems for more than ten years. But after several months of practicing Falun Gong, my stomach problems disappeared. Of course I like to practice, it's marvelous! It's just like it says in the book, Zhuan Falun: improvement starts from the microscopic level to the surface. I can't even recall when these problems of mine disappeared.”
Ninety-nine-year-old Man Now Has a Relaxed and Comfortable Body
Nearly 100-year-old Mr. Ma Jiyu practices and mediates every morning. His posture is as straight as that of a young man.
Born in Mei County, Guangdong Province in 1912, ninety-nine-year-old Mr. Ma Jiyu is a retired doctor. His wife passed away in 1991. Being financially secure, he often smoked, drank, and played Mahjong, late into the night. Because of his age and decadent life style, he developed heart disease, prostate problems, incontinence, and other illnesses. Riddled with pain, he sometimes thought about taking his own life. The only thing that stopped him from doing that was the loving care and concern that his children had shown towards him.
At the lowest point in his life, social worker and Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Lin Fengju, introduced him to the practice. Shortly after, his mind and body got stronger and stronger. He even traveled overseas on several occasions.
Mr. Ma had experienced pain throughout his body since he was eighty-eight years old. But after practicing Falun Gong for a while, he now has a relaxed body at ninety-nine. His children are very pleased with his amazing recovery.
On November 1, 2009, the second day of Japan's Iijima-cho Fifth Culture Festival, a ninety-two-year- old gentleman bought a Japanese version of Zhuan Falun immediately after watching the Falun Gong exercise demonstration. He said with a smile, “I think if I practice Falun Gong, I will become younger.”
Countless Persecution Cases in Mainland China
Elderly people around the world have freedom of belief and therefore, the right to practice Falun Gong—the only exception being the elderly in China. If elderly people in China are caught practicing Falun Gong, they will be arrested and tortured. The world is outraged at this senseless persecution of goodhearted people.
Sixty-two-year-old Mr. Sun Zhongxu, lives in Nansun Township, Hanting District, Weifang City, Shandong Province. He was often harassed, arrested, detained, and tortured by local police officers for practicing Falun Gong. On the afternoon of December 19, 2009, he was arrested then interrogated and tortured for several days. As a result, he suffered a fractured leg. The Anqiu City Court sentenced him to ten years in prison.
Mr. Zhang Guodong, an elderly gentleman from Jianyang City, Sichuan Province, began practicing Falun Gong in October 1996. He lived with his son in the Xindu District, Chengdu City. After the persecution began on July 20, 1999, he was often detained by officers from the Chenxi Police Station in Xindu District, who routinely extorted money from him.
After officers forced his son to send Mr. Zhang back to Jianyang City, the harassment continued. Police ordered his neighbor to monitor him and repeatedly threatened Mr. Zhang, trying to force him to give up his practice. Unable to take the mental pressure, he died at the age of seventy-four on December 11, 2009.
Arrogant Officials
Seventy-year-old Ms. Li Mengshu, lived in Jianchen Town, Jianyang City, Sichuan Province. Officers from the Yangma Town Police Station and Jianyang City Domestic Security Division arrested her on March 15, 2007. While being held at the Chendu Women's Prison, she became very ill.
Her family sought her release, based on her medical condition, but the prison refused to release her. Only when Ms. Li was in critical condition, did the police release her in mid-January. She died several months later, on April 21.
While she was in prison, officers from the Domestic Security Division, and agents from the “610 Office” and the Political and Judiciary Committee, told her family in an arrogant tone, “Go ahead and try to sue us!”
Police Without Humanity
Seventy-one-year-old Ms. Li Shuxianm, from Lingyua, Liaoning Province, used to suffer from several illnesses, including, heart disease and gastritis. After practicing Falun Gong for six months, all of her symptoms disappeared.
After being reported to the police for telling people how she had benefited from Falun Gong, and that it was a good practice, she was arrested by officers from the Mohudian Police Station and shocked with electric batons. They also beat and kicked her and hung her up.
She was sentenced to four years in prison in October 2005, and held in the Dabei Prison in Shenyang City. The guards brainwashed her, did not permit her to use the bathroom or talk, deprived her of sleep, subjected her to solitary confinement, and forced her to sit for hours on end. As a result, she developed uremia and blood in her stool, yet the guards still forced her to do physical labor. She passed away on June 1, 2009.
Stop the Persecution, Uphold Moral Principles
The above persecution cases are only the tip of the iceberg. Look at every civilized country in the world and you will find that they all show respect and concern for the elderly. Since ancient times, China has always been a very civilized country. “Respect and care for my elders and others,” is one of the important characteristics of being a noble person.
“The elderly should lead good lives … the disabled should be taken care of.” The leaders of every nation should strive to achieve this most glorious goal. Our Chinese society has a long history of honoring the elderly, that is, before the Chinese communist party (CCP) intentionally destroyed traditional family values and norms. The international community should no longer tolerate this inhumane persecution of innocent people.
Practitioner Ms. Yu Changzhi talks about the persecution.
Ms. Yu Changzhi, in her 70s, is a former engineer of China's Ministry of Space. On June 20, 2010, she stood in front of the congress building in Australia, and called for an end to the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong.
“Having experienced the persecution first hand, I know how evil it is. After appealing for the right to practice Falun Gong in China, I was arrested on numerous occasions and imprisoned four times. I suffered various forms of torture and barely made it out alive. There are countless practitioners in China who are languishing in prisons and forced labor camps, suffering from all sorts of abuse,” stated Ms. Yu.
We need to stop the CCP's persecution of innocent people; otherwise, the basic moral principles and values of our society will be destroyed. Then, the victims will not only be the Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China, but everyone in the world.
