Thinking of Others During the Sichuan Earthquake

(Minghui.org) A major earthquake took place in Sichuan Province in May 2008. It measured 7.9 Mw, killing 69,197 people, and left 18,222 missing. However, one security officer was able to save all the people in a 14-story building. Below is what happened in his own words.

Last Person to Leave the Building

When the earthquake took place on May 12, 2008, I was a security officer for a community in Deyang City, Sichuan Province. People were terrified and panicking as they struggled to get out. I was on the first floor of a 14-story residential building and close to the exit. Although I could have easily left, and my instinct told me to run and save myself, the teachings of Falun Dafa including the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, helped me to calm down and save others.

There are two exits in this building, one is on the first floor and one is in the basement. Both of them require passwords to open and they will not operate without electricity. Knowing the electricity could shut down at any minute and leave people trapped in the building, I rushed to the exits, opened them and kept them open with bricks.

It took more than 40 minutes for the entire building to evacuate and I was the last person to leave the building.

Becoming a Better Person

I help others because I practice Falun Dafa, a peaceful meditation that has helped me both physically and spiritually. Ever since childhood my health was poor and I usually failed physical education classes. This continued until I graduated from school and began working. After I begin to practice Falun Dafa in 1995, however, all my illnesses disappeared and I became healthy and happy.

The biggest change I experienced was improvement of my moral values. The principles of Falun Dafa teach me how to be a better person and I always try to apply them both at work and in my daily life. When I started practicing I worked in a retail store attached to an oil plant. The store was losing money because the cashier often sold the oil at 6 yuan per litter, while recording 5.5 yuan in the account and pocketed the extra money. The other reason was that the cashier was dishonest and did not give customers all the oil they paid for. Because of this, the business lost customers and profits went down.

After I began working there, as a Falun Dafa practitioner I knew what I should do. These problems were quickly resolved and my politeness and good service earned me many new customers. Profits went up. Impressed by my work ethics, one business partner told me, “If everyone in China were a Falun Dafa practitioner, the world would be much better.”

Another test came when I wanted to switch jobs. Because my father was a high official in a big company and my step-mother was a vice-governor, many of their relatives and friends were able to find good jobs that paid well. Knowing I should not pursue personal interest through back door connections, I chose to work as a security officer in the local community. This is how I had the opportunity to save people in that 14-story building during the Sichuan earthquake.

When he heard of my heroic deeds in saving people, my supervisor promoted me and gave me a raise. Deep in my heart, I knew it was because of Falun Dafa that teaches me to be a better person and to think of others first!