(Clearwisdom.net) My mother started to practice Falun Gong, which is based on the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance". With her help, my father and I also started to practice Dafa. We gained good health and were very happy.
On July 20, 1999 the Chinese Communist Party and Jiang Zemin colluded to persecute Dafa and its practitioners. My mother went to Beijing to appeal and clarify the truth to the government, but at that time I did not go because I had to concentrate on my studies. After a little while, we received some bad news: my mother was arrested. During the three months while my mother was illegally detained, it was really painful for a 10-year-old like me.
At that time I was still an elementary school student. When the illegal suppression started, my schoolteachers and students all knew that my mother practiced Falun Gong, and that she was arrested for her appeal in Beijing. They also knew that I practiced with my mother, so they started to try to persuade me to give up the practice. However, I steadfastly told them, "I want to continue the practice". All the schoolteachers took turns to "advise" me every day, even during class. They called me out and presented their so-called reasons, and then asked me if I still wanted to practice. Under such extended brainwashing, I said, "I don't want to practice" in order to get a little break, but it was really against my will. My classmates' reaction was shocking. One day, one of my school mates came to me and said, "Someone's mother practice Falun Gong, and she is in prison now." Then he ran away laughing loudly. I cried.
I was frightened by the teachers' and classmates' words and behavior. After that, I was too scared to validate Dafa among the teachers and classmates! I was afraid to clarify the truth to them. Even later, when I entered junior high, I still didn't dare to mention that my mother practices Falun Gong, because I was afraid of being discriminated against and of becoming isolated. I remembered when I was in the 4th grade, my school held a speech contest for slandering Falun Dafa. I was always chosen to represent the class at the speech contest, and my teacher asked me to represent them again. I knew that I shouldn't go, but I thought that I had to obey my teacher, so I said things that were totally against my will and conscience. Afterwards, my school started a program to collect signatures against Falun Gong, and all the students had to sign. At that point, I had already become numb. I signed like everybody else, and I didn't have the slightest uncomfortable feeling. I once passed truth-clarifying flyers among my classmates, and I wanted to see their reaction towards Dafa. However, after I saw my classmates' reaction, I was devastated.
After I entered junior high school, the environment seemed better. My adviser said something like, "I will not interfere with you, no matter what kind of belief you have." But I was still haunted by my experiences in elementary school, so I never dared to mention that my family members practiced Dafa or clarify the truth about Dafa.
Now, I am gradually clarifying the truth to my teachers and classmates, and I refuse to be interfered with and persecuted by those evil factors. I want to expose them, disintegrate them, and become an upright Fa-rectification Dafa disciple.
