(Clearwisdom.net) [Minghui is the Chinese version of the Clearwisdom website]
Dear Minghui Editors:
Greetings!
I have gained a lot from reading articles from the Fifth Internet Experience Sharing Conference for Practitioners in China. In particular, after reading the articles on material centers, I was inspired to write about a problem that I've observed for a long time. I'd like to share my views with fellow practitioners. I also work on making and distributing materials. I know full well that both are hard to do, yet it's even harder for a being to be saved. So when I am making materials, I have a wish to make our materials better. I know that if I can make better materials, the people reading them will not have any obstacles in their minds so they can learn the facts. Then our work will not be in vain. If every piece of material is effective, we are more effective at saving people as well.
We started making materials from scratch, from simple to sophisticated. A fair number of practitioners have created professional-looking brochures and developed a system. There are several truth-clarification brochures to choose from on the Minghui website. My personal view is that because each practitioner is different, the materials are inconsistent. In addition, practitioners are also making weekly or monthly publications, which means a heavy workload for the practitioners whose responsibility is to edit brochures. Everyone is doing it in his or her spare time. Sometimes the practitioners making brochures just copy articles verbatim from the weekly publications. As a result, the effect of the brochures is not always good.
Currently, in Mainland China, although we have distributed a lot of materials, the feedback has not always been good. This is especially true in southern China and rural areas. Because there are relatively few practitioners there, many people have not had the opportunity to read truth-clarification materials. Despite practitioners' efforts, many people have still not been exposed to the facts. We should pay even more attention to the quality of informational materials we give them.
Given the situation, I think it's imperative that we combine everyone's good ideas and make a few editions of general brochures that can be broadly used and will not soon be outdated. For example, the Divine Performing Arts Spectacular is widely accepted by people from all walks of life. Copies of the performance are very effective for truth-clarification.
For many home-based material centers in China, downloading and distributing new materials can be a challenge. If we have some materials that remain relevant, it will make it easier to establish new material centers without the technical requirements being too high. It can also reduce the pressure on the larger material production centers. If new articles are developed into several set categories, it will make it easier for the practitioners to put brochures together. They will not need to do much editing. This can free up their time to do other things. As a result, our overall efficiency can also improve.
When I first saw this problem, I thought I should take the initiative to create brochures and upload them. However, my own abilities and perspectives are limited. I think this is an issue that takes coordination as a group and will benefit us all as a group. I would like to ask the Minghui Editors to ask for recommendations from practitioners and create a few editions of "classic" brochures that can be used for a long time. From a different angle, through this process, practitioners can also realize the importance of the content of the materials. Because there is a large quantity of truth-clarification content available, it is best if the Minghui Editors can select materials that are the most appropriate for mainstream society.
Below are some of my understandings on truth-clarification materials. Please point out anything incorrect.
1. Our audience is ordinary people in society. Besides work, they are busy with household chores. The materials should be easy to understand. We should avoid complicated articles that involve abstract philosophy, but they should not sound condescending. When faced with a problem, a regular person's first reaction is to protect his or her personal interest and safety. As such, we should avoid overly radical concepts and labels. If we talk about things related to their daily lives, they will find the materials more relevant and be more willing to read it. We can also use the approach of story-telling, which sounds less preachy and overwhelming. Today's popular culture in China is crude and boring. When people are given a classy and interesting brochure with fresh content, it will pique their interest.
2. When introducing the growth of Falun Dafa outside of China, the best approach is to start with the wide acceptance of the practice all over the world. Only the Chinese government deprives its people of the benefits of Falun Dafa and persecutes its practitioners. If the materials only mention what other governments are doing to recognize Falun Dafa, the reader can be misled into believing the CCP's propaganda that Falun Dafa has been manipulated and receives funding from foreign governments and anti-Communist interests.
3. We should use neutral terms. The tone should be plain and colloquial. Then everyone can understand it. We don't want people to think it sounds too esoteric or too strange.
From the Fa's perspective, we are clarifying the facts, not trying to force our own thoughts on others. Our goal is to help people see the facts. We should make our materials based on what people can accept, and not according to our own notions or views. Ordinary people are not on the same level as we are and they have very different views on things.
4. The purpose of the brochures is to clarify the facts and expose the evil nature of the CCP. Gradually we can try to persuade people to withdraw from the CCP. The transition is important. These two concepts should not sound like independent, unrelated ideas.
5. My thoughts on a few of the commonly used terms:
- "Evil Party:" Our materials are for ordinary people's consumption to help them see the CCP for what it is. Before they reach that conclusion themselves, words such as the "evil Party" are meaningless to them. Even if they can guess that it refers to the CCP, they may feel that we are slapping degrading labels and are slandering the CCP. We are better off just calling it the CCP.
- "Mark of the Beast:" This terms comes from the Bible. Only Christians or cultivators can understand it. Using this term can cause confusion for ordinary people. They are unable to comprehend the deep meaning of the term. It's better to just use the word "mark."
- "Evil:" We often use this term among practitioners to refer to beings in other dimensions that do bad things against ordinary people and Dafa practitioners. Sometimes in the human world, people can be manipulated by the evil to do terrible things. However, the word "evil" is usually not used to refer to people. We should not use it casually in articles for ordinary people.
November 24, 2008
[From the Minghui Editors: The Editors have begun assembling content to create brochures that are broadly appropriate for the general public. It will take time and support from fellow practitioners. We will coordinate the next steps, and hope that practitioners from China and other countries can support us.]
