(Clearwisdom.net)

I recently talked with several people about the earthquake that rocked China's Sichuan province last May. We watched an NTDTV program revealing how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was accusing Falun Gong of taking advantage of the disaster. One of the people watching with me said: "After seeing that, I completely agree with the commentator's claim that "Falun Gong practitioners are the most outstanding." Then he told us about a personal experience.

In the the summer of 2006, a scorching and dry climate, unprecedented in the past 100 years, swept across much of China. I lived in northern Sichuan province, at the middle reach of the Jialingjiang river, where the temperature reached the maximum value of 42 degrees Celsius (almost 110 degrees Fahrenheit), and averaged 35-39 degrees (90's and 100's Fahrenheit) for more than 40 days. Every afternoon, thousands of people went into the river to cool off. Many of them could not swim, but they wanted to get into the river to cool off nevertheless. The current was strong and fast moving; many people drowned. At lunchtimes in particular, many young students came to swim without adult supervision. Many of them drowned. In three days, 6 young students were lost.

I was a swimming fan. In the summer I went swimming in the river every day. On July 20, in the afternoon, a fat man was caught by a strong current and was in danger. Many people saw him in danger, but none dared to go to rescue him because it was too risky. But despite the danger, two people swam quickly to the man and took pains to help him out of the fast moving water and get him to shallow water.

In the afternoon of July 23, a man with two kids came swimming. The man was unable to swim, and the kids were equipped only with plastic floating balloons of low quality. In the beginning, they were enjoying themselves in a shallow place, but then they were suddenly caught by the current. At the time the floating balloon of one of the kids started to leak and he was in danger. At river's edge the mothers of the two kids called loudly for help, but no one dared to respond. The mothers asked around for help. At that moment, the two swimmers mentioned above appeared and swam quickly to the two kids and the man and saved them.

On July 28, a man and a woman were caught by the current because they could not swim. The two brave men appeared again and and brought them to safety.

On August 1, just before nightfall, many people on the bank were putting on their clothes before going home. A young man who was unable to swim slipped into deep water and was submerged with only his hair remaining visible. People on the bank called out for help. Again, one of the good men appeared. He ran towards the spot and jumped into the river without taking off his clothes, and dragged the young man to a safe place.

I witnessed these men save 7 people. Grateful for their help, the people they saved offered them money, but the two men refused to take it. They also declined an invitation to dinner. They said that they did what they did because their Teacher taught them to. They said that any Falun Gong practitioner would do the same because the Teacher of Falun Gong taught them to be good people. It was only then that I realized that they were Falun Gong practitioners.

Not long after, many swimming fans heard about the rescues and suggested that the two men's heroic actions should be reported to authorities. However, the two rejected the suggestion, saying that such behavior is really very normal for Falun Gong practitioners.

Experienced swimmers know that it can be very risky to rescue people in a river. Many people have heard stories people who drowned when they tried to save others. So, when they are confronted with such an opportunity to do a good deed, they would consider their own safety first. Most people would choose to do nothing out of concern for themselves. According to the two friends, Falun Gong practitioners equate the lives of others with their own. Because they gave no thought to personal considerations, it follows naturally that they succeeded in their rescues.

I used to be prejudiced against Falun Gong before I met with them, because I had seen so much propaganda against Falun Gong in China's newspapers and on Chinese television. After that, I started to pay more attention to the Falun Gong practitioners around me. I found that the rest of us are very far behind them. They never struggle for material goods and seem immune to many of the other bad habits so common in the world. Facing the relentless persecution of Falun Gong, they want to tell us about the persecution they face from the bottoms of their hearts, even at the risk of arrest, loss of their pensions, loss of their jobs, and losing their homes. For these reasons, I completely agree with the NTDTV commentator's words that Falun Gong practitioners are the most outstanding.