Readers Inspired to Be Best Versions of Themselves by ‘How Humankind Came To Be’

Gerald Davis, a manufacturing engineer, is a native of Colorado. Courtesy of Gerald Davis

Readers said that Falun Gong founder Mr. Li Hongzhi’s article “How Humankind Came To Be” inspired them to think more about life and the universe and be their best. They reached this similar conclusion via different paths tied to their unique backgrounds.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice rooted in ancient Chinese culture. Mr. Li introduced it to the public in China in 1992. “What’s unique about my teachings is that they incorporate modern science and the science of the body in order to make things more accessible, and yet the teachings are very spiritually advanced,” he wrote in his book “Zhuan Falun.“

Gerald Davis, a semi-retired manufacturing engineer, said the idea of molecules in Mr. Li’s article resonated deeply with him: “We are more than the sum of the molecules we’re made from. Those molecules were made and organized for our benefit so that we might perceive His creation so that He might feel conscience.”

Growing up in Denver, Colorado, the 72-year-old was exposed to different religions when his parents took him to visit temples, churches, and synagogues.

Mr. Li’s article prompted him to think more about faith and the universe: “Why am I able to contemplate the universe? That is such a miracle.” He said he was stargazing the night before the interview. “I could not understand how it is that I can see these things and see a constellation as a constellation and know that it’s really not there; it’s in different spaces.”

“I find comfort in knowing that there’s a good purpose and we’ll get there to heaven in the end,” he told The Epoch Times. “All I can do is do my best. Perceive everything that is glorious about the world—everything’s glorious—and try to make my little corner of the universe as pleasant as it can be. If I truly was somehow a sensor for God, that His understanding of His creation was somehow improved through my perception, I want to be the best perceiver that I can be. If somehow I’m an instrument of His action or desire, I want to be the best thing I can do.”

“That’s what I think jumped out of the newspaper into my [comment],” he added. “And what I’d like to do with Mr. Li’s help with The Epoch Times, with my own searches, is to understand and be a better person. That’s what it’s all about.”

‘A Message from Beginning to End’

Mrs. Wilson, a retired math high school teacher, said “How Humankind Came To Be” was “absolutely fascinating.” She called the author Mr. Li “a holy man” and, among the very few, “one of those true holy men.”

“The Epoch Times is blessed to print this [article] for people to read,” she added. She prefers not to disclose her full name. Throughout her career, she taught about 5,000 students from all parts of the world, including South Korea, Taiwan, and mainland China.

“[Mr. Li] is telling universal truths in—it’s not a 400-page book; it’s a two-sided page of a newspaper—in the most concise writing. Every word means something, and it’s a message from beginning to end,” she told The Epoch Times.

One such message she read was, “God is going to triumph. People have a chance to go back to Him, to the Creator, if they choose goodness.”

Another message for her was: “All of the madness now unfolding was planned as such by divine beings. The goal was to test the lives [to determine] whether they were worthy of salvation. I really think so.

“We are all tested: our patience, our love, or how much we love. And love doesn’t mean, ‘You’re nice to me. So I will be nice.’ I believe there’s a certain amount of forgiveness that has to go into all that because it takes us on another level above just doing good.”

Another thing that stood out for Wilson in the article was how people’s free will to keep goodness and stay kind might lead to the positioning of their lives. Hence, she said people who read Mr. Li’s article should “think about how they can improve themselves in even one small way” because small improvements would add as ripples and lead to spiritual well-being.

‘Be The Best Person They Can Be’

Camile Kluge, 59, a mechanical engineer in New Jersey, said the struggle between good and evil described in the article resonated with her. She said this struggle exists in the Falun Gong teachings as well as in most other spiritual traditions and is real.

A Christian, she considered it a big accomplishment of hers that her children, in their 20s, still go to church and practice their faith.

“There are consequences to our actions,” she told The Epoch Times. “I think people need to look outside themselves to be the best person they can be and to contribute and help people where it’s needed.”