PureInsight | October 11, 2004
[PureInsight.org] We were at the Chicago airport after the 2004 Chicago Fa-sharing Conference, when I noticed an elderly woman sitting in a wheel chair close to where we were standing in line to board our flight back home. When the loud speaker system called for pre-boarders of the airplane to line up, she was not among those moving towards the entrance to the plane. I was genuinely concerned as it was getting more and more crowded, making it almost impossible for her to get her wheelchair to the pre-boarding area. I got out of line and went over to her.
"Can I help you with getting to the pre-boarding line?"
"Thank you. But no, I do not need any assistance just yet because my flight won't be taking off for another four hours."
After saying goodbye to her, I thought, "Well what should I do now about my own position in the boarding lines? I could go back to the front of the line with those I was traveling with or go to the very back of the line. I didn't feel quite right with getting back in line with the others because it was the pre-boarding line for persons needing assistance as two persons in our group needed extra time to board. But, I really didn't need that extra time and the only reason I would be in that line was to sit with the other practitioners I came with.
It suddenly occurred to me that this everyday person's system for boarding a plane by lines according to the time you checked in and if you needed assistance due to being elderly, handicapped or traveling with small children and no pre-assigned seating makes people move away from the characteristics of the universe-Truth, Compassion and Forbearance. I say this since this system can make one be competitive and self-serving. For instance, to sit with those you are traveling with you need to be at the beginning of the line. This is true too if you want an aisle seat or a particular area of the plane. I thought that maybe it would be best to be the last person to board. That seemed okay and right for me.
Then I dropped to an everyday person's level of thinking by saying to myself, "What is the worst thing that could happen if I am the last to board?"
"What if I am the last to board and there would be no seat for me..."
"Wait a minute something is not right with all this thinking as it is based on the attachment to fear."
"How should a practitioner of Falun Dafa act?"
I remembered the teacher of Falun Dafa, Li Hongzhi, saying "We practitioners do not want what everyday people want." (From: Zhuan Falun) Also, as a Falun Dafa practitioner it was my understanding that we were to always consider others first. It was just that simple. With these thoughts I felt so light and all the petty fears left my mind. I told one of the practitioners I was traveling with not to save me a seat as I would be going to the back of the line.
"Now, this is great because this arrangement will give me more time to talk to the older woman in the wheelchair about Falun Dafa," I thought.
After approaching the elderly woman in the wheelchair, I said, "You remind me of my mother doing the crossword puzzles as you wait."
She smiled and I sat down in the airport chair closest to her.
I said, "Since you have an extended wait here at the airport I thought you might like to read this flyer about Falun Dafa." She took the flyer.
"I am returning from a Falun Dafa conference. Falun Dafa is an ancient qigong practice of exercises, meditation and living by the principles of Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance for health, fitness, and returning to one's true self."
"So that is why you made that offer to assist me?" she said while pointing to the Chinese symbols of Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance.
"Yes it is."
"In the past many people would have offered to assist me, but not any more. You are the first. The behavior of people has really gone downhill these days." She then expanded upon this by giving some examples of the degenerate behavior of teenagers.
She continued, "I can see that Falun Dafa is not Christianity, but these principles (Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance) must be something very similar, and what we thought was being taught when we raised our children in the church." She went on to talk about how a person's behavior reflects the good standards if one were taught these standards.
She sighed and said, "But, who would have believed that even back then you couldn't even trust our religious leaders with the safety of our children?"
"It is so sad to learn of what they have been doing for all these years." [She was referring to cases where priests had sexual abused young boys in the church which were being tried in courts of law some 20 to 30 years later.]
She went on to say, "I am so glad I am 83 and moving out of this lifetime, rather than my grandchildrens' ages who are just moving into this life. There is not much hope for them." She sighted.
Enthusiastically I replied, "I used to feel that way too, but not anymore. I feel such hope because the people of the world are now getting a chance to learn about Falun Dafa." I pointed to the symbols of Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance on the flyer.
Just then there was an announcement for everyone needing to board the plane to get in line. I got up to leave.
She cheerfully said, "Thank you for the flyer. I will read it while I wait."
"It was nice talking with you. Have a safe trip home. Goodbye," I said.
Being the very last person to board the plane, I was surprised to find that the very first seat on the plane was open for me to sit in for the flight home.
[Author's comments: It is my understanding that Falun Dafa was not introduced to the public to benefit or make changes within society, rather it is a cultivation practice for persons to become healthy, fit, moral, and to return to our true nature. However, Li Hongzhi states, "Dafa can make people's hearts become good, thus stabilizing society." (From: Essentials for Further Advancement, Dafa will forever be Pure like Diamond.")
