HOW YOU TREAT PEOPLE 

“I follow the traditional Chinese man’s thinking which is following traditional Chinese beliefs because they tell me to try to become a better person. How you treat people is how they are going to treat you. I believe that everything in nature, or the people around me, I have to treat it well and, in return, I reap a lot of rewards. For example, I have a lot of friends, and people are good to me. People need to take responsibility for themselves—in the good things and also in the bad things. When they take responsibility for the bad things and not blame them on other people, they can have better relationships with those around them. In terms of how to be a man, these are the most important things to me.”

Daniel’s Reflection

I met Fang Min (known to me as “Mr. Fang”) over several trips to Guangzhou, China where he was the driver for my friends Emily and Minki Chang. Long before I got to interview Mr. Fang for Portraits in Faith, I knew he was a special person with a kind heart. On one occasion he took me to a Chinese tea house and sat with me for an hour even though we did not speak the same language and he was not eating! It was just a very typical thing to do to be of service to others.

When the opportunity to interview Mr. Fang came about, I was grateful to learn that he and his wife had just had a baby after many years of trying with no success. In the interview, he described how he went to two very important temples and prayed. And, more importantly, he went back to the temples after his son was born to return to God and express his gratitude.

Some people touch our lives in the simplest ways. Kindness seems to be one of those ways that leaves a lasting impact.