It is shocking, and thought-provoking, that nonsense can deceive the masses in a few short years. Clearly, we must thoroughly refute the nonsense of Li Hongzhi, but we must also recognize that our mainstream culture wasn't able to effectively counteract it, and this in itself indicates shortcomings in our cultural structure. The answer is, in lacking real support and psychological concern for the weak. Most of those who practiced Falungong were elderly and sick. In modern society, because of age and physical health problems, these people are in a weak position.
Modern society encourages competition and sympathizes with the strong.
The economic position and psychological needs of the weak cannot be guaranteed in a society that is becoming more and more commercialized. And because the Chinese economy is in a period of transition, the social security mechanism is imperfect and structural social problems are becoming worse. Falungong seized the opportunity provided by the need for real support and psychological concern among society's weak and spread like a disease. However, those enticed by Falun dafa were not just the weak, but included a fair number of intellectuals and even leading cadres. Loss of a scientific spirit and decline of political will are obviously major reasons for their loss of direction, and for the majority of them the initial impetus could be described as the search for their own psychological space, where problems of work, personal disputes and family conflicts can be discarded.