(Minghui.org) Michael Molnar, a 51-year-old Melbourne resident, works as a systems engineer for a technology giant in Australia. He says he feels fortunate to have begun practicing Falun Dafa in January 1999. He wished to thank Master during the Mid-Autumn Festival and said, “I am eternally grateful to be practicing Falun Dafa.”
Mr. Molnar grew up in a single-parent family. His mother had mental health problems and often abused him. He said, “Growing up without a father, I never developed emotionally. I didn’t have an understanding of social norms, or what was socially acceptable, so even though I had friends, my family relationships went from one extreme to the other.”
He changed a lot after he began practicing Dafa, saying the difference was like night and day.
“If I hadn’t found Dafa, I would have ended up the same as what happens to children from dysfunctional home environments. Most of them end up with drug problems or become abusers themselves because it perpetuates that. I definitely think Falun Dafa helped me stop that cycle. I don’t think my marriage would have lasted this long, that’s for sure.”
As a father of two daughters, Mr. Molnar said that he had no idea what a father’s responsibilities were before he began practicing. But Falun Dafa gave him wisdom and a caring heart, allowing he and his wife to be responsible parents. He says if he hadn’t practiced Falun Dafa, none of this would have been possible.
Balancing Work and Family
After practicing for 26 years, Mr. Molnar said his deepest experience was how to implement the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance in his daily life.
He said, “It’s challenging because the lines of right and wrong are so blurred in society. When someone sees you in a negative way, following Dafa’s principles is challenging but sometimes by doing so people will think that there’s something wrong with you because it does not conform to society’s downward way of thinking.
“It’s about being true to yourself and those around you, being kind and compassionate and tolerant of others, which is not common in today’s society. When people don’t live by these principles and are taught differently, often you just have to bite your tongue and not say anything because the moral levels are vastly different.”
He said he sometimes fails while facing challenges. “No matter how hard I try to keep my thoughts on the Fa, sometimes the test comes unexpectedly. I might have just had a test and thought I did really well and passed it, then when I let my guard down, straight away the next test comes and I put my foot in it.
“I always try not to be moved when I make a mistake. It’s basically an opportunity to identify something that wouldn’t have occurred to me otherwise. Everything happens for a reason, so I just remind myself that the attachments are not my true self.”
He said about his experience of practicing Falun Dafa, “I gain new insight every day. My children have taught me a lot about myself, because it doesn’t matter how many times you say ‘I practice Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance’–until you’re put in a scenario where you have to apply those principles, you won’t know yourself what you are capable of. It was a humbling experience because I realized how much I needed to learn how to be more selfless.
“Taking a look at most of my children’s friends, sadly, a lot of their parents have divorced. It’s often because as parents they are missing that compassion for each other. Maintaining a strong family is about being selfless and considering the entire family. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new and realize that there is something else that I can do better. It’s an ongoing process in cultivating oneself.”
He said that he had no idea what kind of family responsibilities a person who grew up without a father should take on. Therefore, facing such challenges and pressures, he believed that without Master’s teachings and guidance, he and his family would have been doomed to fail.
Mr. Molnar said he’s never wavered in the 26 years he’s practiced Dafa. “It’s a belief that Falun Dafa is something real and true. Amidst the chaos around the world, Dafa is the one place where I can find peace and be still, be peaceful in thought and in emotions, and be able to observe the world and see what’s happening and just go with the flow in a calm manner.
“I would like to say how grateful I am to Master for giving me this opportunity to practice Falun Dafa. I’ve always wondered if I’d still be alive, if I didn’t have the Fa to guide me. I am eternally grateful to be Master’s disciple.”
Copyright © 2024 Minghui.org. All rights reserved.