While we were complaining about our food, which is not delicious; about our house, which is not large enough; about our work, which is not decent enough; an old man, whose name was Bai Fangli was working strenuously for the poor students, to support the Education in his words, in his eighties.

What have been sent to the world for? Many people have been making every effort to find the meaning and I am just one of them.

Bai Fangli was only an ordinary man. He might not know what the meaning of life was according to our definition. However, by what he had done, we know he gives the best definition of “the meaning of life”.

He was not rich and he needed help because of old age. Nevertheless, he asked for no help from his children, only to have let them be blamed for infidelity by some who knew nothing about him. He sold his own house and used the money, together with all his savings with his wife, who had already been dead, to help the destitute students at school. He built a special company. Most probably it was a unique company in china “Company to Make for Students”. He hired a man to look after the company, which was only a small shop to sell necessities in daily life at a train. He rode a tricycle around the city to carry people, to earn money as another way to help the poor students.

For a young and strong man it might be comparatively easy to do so. However for an old man who was in his eighties, it must not have been an easy task to be performed. Perhaps many of us don’t even understand what his purpose was. To say that he was striving for fame was to profane a holy act. Who dare say that an old man was after fame in his eighties in this way? Even if so, our society needs such people to be after fame.

    The old man’ spirit has been purified and made holy in his doings. He might well have been able to live a leisurely life, to enjoy the remaining time. He simply chose another way instead. In such a choice, he has been above the ordinary common beings in our society and should be ranked among those saints.

The old man, Bai Fangli, has passed away. He must be living merrily in the heaven, well taken care of by all those there. He has won profound respect for his acts while he was still alive. Many people living have showed their condolences. Many have shed tears. Many have done other kind of services in his funeral. He was escorted to the funeral parlor by many people, who knew him well but he might not know them, because he had been always in a hurry, to make money for his students.

He was not a teacher, yet he set an exquisite role model for teachers; he was not a member of the communist party, yet he has surpassed the basic requirements of the communist party; he was only an ordinary man, yet what he had done has proved he was above all ordinary mankind and became a saint.

Let there be more people like him in our society!