(Minghui.org) I was traveling on a train when I overheard a middle-aged man telling someone on the phone that he planned to kill the entire family of his wife's boyfriend upon returning home. He sounded distraught and had a fierce look in his eyes.
I was worried. What a huge price would this man pay if he indeed committed murder? I felt compelled to stop him, but wasn't sure if it was appropriate for me to get involved. But how could I not do something?
I finally decided to do my best to talk him out of his plan. After all, as a Falun Gong practitioner who follows the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I knew I should help this man avoid the grave consequences of committing such a sin.
How would I get him to come to his senses? I figured that empathizing with his predicament and analyzing the source of his anger would be a good place to start.
I began to chat with him and he loosened up a bit after learning that we are both from Cao County in Shandong Province. I told him I observed the same thing as he did: “The moral values in society have really degenerated. Promiscuity is so prevalent.”
He couldn't agree more and said, “Ninety-five percent of the young women in my village have this problem. Some even have affairs with their fathers-in-law and brothers-in-law. And some couples even swap spouses.” I was surprised to hear that moral corruption in society had gotten this bad, as I still held the notion that country people were honest and simple.
I told him I understood his anger about being cheated on, but cautioned him to think through the consequences of his act and to not bring an irreversible regret to him and his family.
He seemed moved by my words and said, “I see that you have my best interests at heart. I have nothing to hide from you.” He went on to share his wife's story with me.
While he was working out of town to support the family, his wife started an affair with a fellow villager six years ago. Upon discovering the affair two years back, he wanted a divorce. He later changed his mind after his wife repeatedly begged him not to leave and promised to end the affair. He forgave her and didn't hold a grudge.
He was later shocked to find that his wife never stopped seeing her boyfriend. He couldn't put up with it anymore and decided to kill that man. He rushed back home and grabbed a knife, only to be stopped by his wife, who dropped to her knees to plead for another chance. He forgave her again.
It wasn't long before he learned that his wife was seeing that man again and in a more open manner. The pair sometimes even met at a guesthouse in town. When he heard about it, he was so angry that he was unable to eat or sleep. He made up his mind to kill his wife's boyfriend, and the boyfriend's wife, parents and two children.
I trembled with fear when I heard this, and asked, “Why don't you take your wife with you when you work out of town?”
He answered, “I need my wife to take care of my elderly mother.”
I cautioned him, “If you kill those six people, you will have to pay for it with your life. How much pain will you cause your mother? She would have to spend the rest of her life without her son's company and love. Is it worth it? Good is rewarded and evil is punished. An extra-marital affair is not right, and I'm sure your wife and her boyfriend will meet with karmic retribution sooner or later. You must calm down and settle the matter rationally.”
He agreed that people all suffer consequences for their actions. Seeing his response, I continued to share with him why I thought the morality today is so bad.
I said, “As I see it, the root cause of declining morality is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). All orthodox religions, including Buddhism, believe in the principle that good and evil will receive their due, and they encourage people to value virtue. But the CCP promotes atheism and materialism, and has largely destroyed the traditional Chinese culture during its six-decade rule of China. No wonder society is so corrupt. When people no longer value virtue, they seek self-indulgent pleasure without constraint, and they don't believe there will be consequences for their actions.”
I asked him, “Do you know there's currently a movement to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations? Many people believe that by severing ties with the CCP, they will have good fortune. Have you ever been a member of any CCP organization?”
He admitted he once joined the Chinese Youth League and agreed to have me help him quit with an alias. The murderous look on his face dissipated as we talked further. He said, “I really feel that you care about me, and your words have really woken me up. I won't kill anyone and I will rationally resolve my problem.”
This incident has really made me appreciate my great fortune to have found Falun Gong. If it were not for Falun Gong, I wouldn't have bothered to get involved in other people's business.
It was the compassion I cultivated through practicing Falun Gong that compelled me to take action, and the power of this compassion that helped this man awaken and change his mind.
