【Epoch Times October 31, 2024】- Articles by the founder of Falun Dafa, Master Li Hongzhi, such as “Why is Humanity Lost in Society”, have sparked contemplation among readers from all walks of life. Mainland Chinese filmmaker Shi Yuge expressed his belief that the Creator giving us a “lost” society is actually a gift, enabling people to think, grow, and discover the truth.
Shi Yuge stated that he strongly agrees with Master Li’s perspective on “goodness”. Master Li said, “This is an initiative by the Creator before the final destruction so that beings can be saved. It is for beings to emerge from the suffering world of ignorance relying on the goodness of human nature.”
Drawing from his life experiences, Shi Yuge summarized, “Goodness is like a ‘lifeline’ when drowning, using ‘goodness’ to guide oneself through all forms of confusion is the wisest approach.”
Born into a Christian family, Shi Yuge believes in the existence of God but has always been in a state of contemplation and seeking. Master Li’s articles have triggered his contemplation.
“Under the oppression of technology, in the midst of busy lives, what we truly lack is the requirement and process of thinking. We do not engage in much thinking daily, merely following habitual living,” he said. “And I believe that Master Li, through these articles, continuously reminds you to think, to reflect on yourself, to contemplate this world.”
Shi Yuge believes this is precious because if one lives without thoughts solely based on habit, they are essentially like the walking dead, lacking genuine room for improvement and growth. He emphasized that Master Li’s articles are not about “indoctrination” or “brainwashing”, but rather about “stimulating and activating your desire to think”.
Shi Yuge believes that the greatest difference between humans and other species lies in having a “standard to measure the world”, regardless of how many standards exist, “I think the most important perspective is ‘good and evil'”.
He said, “So, if the Creator has given humanity a lost world, I actually feel that this is a gift from the Creator: He has given you a large enough space for growth, whereby you can continuously break free from the confusion, constantly transition from uncertainty to clarity, and then achieve your own growth.” Shi Yuge added, “When you go through this process, in reality, I believe your life has grown to a higher level.”
Therefore, he believes in actively and optimistically viewing this “lost” world.
Shi Yuge mentioned that he agrees with Master Li’s emphasis on people in a “lost” society needing to “do good”, which is as life-saving as a lifeline while drowning.
“When facing various dilemmas and confusion, how should one handle oneself? Here, I very much agree with Master Li, which is, when you cannot make a decision, when you cannot see clearly, choosing ‘good’ is always the right choice. Choosing good is like being in all kinds of whirlpools and towering waves, where you hold onto a lifebuoy, even though you still face ups and downs with the environment, you will find that you can always breathe,” he said.
“In fact, because you uphold ‘goodness’, always holding onto it, you have not abandoned it… I feel that perhaps one day you may be saved.”
However, Shi Yuge noted that life is full of tests, “You never know if you will be saved”, so should one continue to adhere to “good”?
“This is a true test, and by holding onto this goodness, persistently staying with it, I believe this is not only a condition for salvation, but more so a form of self-rescue ability. If you do not have this kind of faith, this kind of belief to consistently uphold goodness, I think you are fundamentally not worthy of being saved because you have not given yourself a possibility of being saved.”
Shi Yuge said, that is to say, one must do good unconditionally, rather than “negotiating with the Creator”.
He also understood that committing evil deeds is actually harming oneself. He quoted a line from a character in a movie to explain this point.
“An old soldier said to a new recruit: When you kill someone, you actually kill a part of yourself – when you harm others, you are not ‘gaining’, you are ‘losing’, because your ‘goodness’ is damaged.”
“So when you continually harm others, you are actually harming yourself the most. One day, you will find that you can never return to goodness, you cannot be a complete self, you will be very evil: on one hand, you have to continue being evil.”
“On the other hand, you feel that you cannot forgive yourself, and have to continue this way. I think this thought process is a very terrifying state, and it makes oneself very uncomfortable.”
Shi Yuge said, “I strongly agree with Master Li’s statement on this point, I strongly support ‘goodness’, that is, when you encounter various difficulties, that is when we mention being ‘lost’ in confusion,” “Using goodness to guide oneself forward is the wisest approach.”
Shi Yuge has a deep understanding of this point. Initially, he was a member of the media and when he started reporting news, he strived for “objectivity”, even presenting a gruesome crime objectively.
“Perhaps you think you did the best, but have you considered that a bloody scene may cause harm to some vulnerable individuals…” he said. “Gradually, you will find that human nature is more valuable… I gradually believe that ‘having a stance’ is better than ‘objectivity’, as long as the stance you choose is ‘goodness’, then it’s correct.”
Therefore, he no longer makes films solely based on market interests but aims to convey values of “goodness” to people.
As a filmmaker, Shi Yuge has long realized that “apocalyptic-themed” films never lose appeal. Why? He believes it is because there has always been an element of “destruction” present in this world or in the human nature.
For instance, when chaos and a multitude of “unacceptable or highly rejected factors by some individuals” exist, he thinks heading towards “destruction” is a very normal occurrence.
“As long as something generated by human desires has the potential to bring about elements of destruction. When these elements accumulate enough, they will definitely create a combined force, resulting in very significant destructive power, reaching a point of annihilation, this ‘destruction’ is natural… I feel it’s a bit like human ‘destruction’ is self-inflicted, not arising from a natural demise.”
He said, “You can completely understand it this way: because when human morality (actually, it is a standard for many things, a delineation of thoughts) is compromised, meaning all these standards have been completely destroyed… all is lost.”
Due to his contemplations and concerns about human nature and the future, Shi Yuge is currently preparing to make a film about artificial intelligence, as he believes AI is also an element of doomsday. “If a force causes the disappearance of the values of the majority, doesn’t that bring about annihilation?”
Shi Yuge expressed his anticipation for Master Li’s new articles.