We're pleased to introduce our new Inner Freedom Series—four real-life journeys inspired by Falun Dafa that explore the invisible attachments that can limit our freedom in ways we seldom notice, and the freedom that comes from letting them go.
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For years, I carried extra scarves, hats, and jackets wherever I went. Not because I couldn't decide what to wear. I carried them so I could change my appearance if I suspected someone was following me.
Looking back now, I realize those clothes weren't really meant to hide my face. They were hiding my fear.
Like millions of Falun Dafa practitioners in China, I had lived under the Chinese Communist Party's persecution for many years. My local neighborhood committee—a grassroots administrative body that, in practice, often serves as the eyes and ears of the Chinese Communist Party—kept an eye on practitioners in the area. An unfamiliar phone call, a knock at the door, or a stranger lingering nearby could be enough to make my heart race.
Eventually, I accepted this constant vigilance as part of everyday life. But no matter how carefully I planned, no matter how often I changed my route or my appearance, I never found peace. I only became more exhausted.
