‘How Humankind Came To Be’ Reminds Society About Needed Values, Readers Say

Wayne Krill, a business owner based in California, believes goodness comes from within, but needs to be awakened and empowered.

Upon reading “How Humankind Came To Be,” an article Falun Gong founder Mr. Li Hongzhi published in The Epoch Times in January, he found concepts and values that are universal among religions and belief systems.

“The principles that Li sees are consistent with our worldly experiences and emphasize the value of living positive values. This is the message that we profoundly lack,” he wrote in a letter to the newspaper.

Truth, compassion, and tolerance—the core tenets of Falun Gong—“clearly drive people to other positive values, that’s what you want,” he said in a recent interview with NTD, the sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

Noble values are present in people’s inner nature, claims the septuagenarian, and “want to express themselves,” but people don’t necessarily follow them in their daily lives.

“Our identity … is not our ego [or] worldview … our true identity is the divine part of who we are,” said Krill. Listening to that identity, “not just the things that you think and feel and believe—that are on top of that—then you begin to get to the truth right away,” he stated.

“Most religions are based upon truth and honesty and some underlying belief system, and those systems are meant to empower the part of nature of who you are,” added Krill, owner of Shotokan West Martial Arts.

We must learn how to put Mr. Li’s message—which agrees with other spiritual teachings—into action, according to Krill.

But “how do we empower people to live those values?” he asked.

One way, explained the business owner, is through influence over time, by letting people observe “how you empower those [values] within yourself and other people.”

The other way, he claims, is to help people who are facing a specific problem by encouraging them to connect with their inner values, as trouble prompts people to implement quick changes.

This notion overlaps with Mr. Li’s idea that pain and trouble exist for people to improve their moral character, as postulated in his article.

“There’s so much opportunity, and we haven’t realised it …  I would challenge people to get up every day and think about what potential they have in the universe today,” said Krill.

Returning to a Value System

Mr. Li’s article evokes a feeling of hope for Jo Breault, an 82-year-old former city worker who believes society is not going in the right direction and needs to return to a value system.

“I think we need to follow teachings that are good for the future of the country … [we need to be following] a lot of the values in that article,” Breault, born in the UK but a naturalized American, told The Epoch Times.

Raised in the Church of England, Breault says she is not very religious—but does believe in a higher power.

“The bottom line for me is that as human beings we should know good from evil … no matter what pathway [we take, it’s important] to do the right thing,” said Breault, who also worked for the British Air Force. “The main points in the article really aligned with what I believed for a long time,” she added.

“I fear for future generations … They’re not being taught what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s acceptable … we’re not teaching them the right way,” said Breault, who currently lives in Nebraska.

While reading “How Humankind Came To Be,” she felt Mr. Li understands where things went wrong. “After World War II, there was a really, marvelous euphoria for everybody. It was a good time, but it was hard too. And then … after the bloom … it started to crumble a little bit,” she stated.

Breault, whose husband served as a senior master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, also mentioned that Mr. Li’s article lit hope for her and other people who think we can restore what was lost.

“Reading some of the things that people have said within the article, I thought we do have a basic core. Are there enough people? Are we strong enough to do that?” she asked herself.

But the article’s main takeaway is comforting, she wrote in a previous letter to the newspaper. “Basically, good will eventually triumph over evil but we are responsible for our own salvation in simple terms.”

The octogenarian further expressed her wish to delve into the teachings of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline involving meditative exercises and moral teachings based on three principles: truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Mr. Li introduced Falun Gong to the public in China back in 1992.

The practice gained popularity in China during the 1990s, with estimates putting the number of adherents at 70 million to 100 million. The communist regime, fearing the number of practitioners posed a threat to its authoritarian control, initiated a sweeping campaign on July 20, 1999, aimed at eradicating the practice, a program that continues today.

Tiffany Meier and Gary Bai contributed to this article.