The 5th International Day of Conscience
Guided by Conscience, Aspiration and Action for Peace
Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze
Zhang-men-ren of Tai Ji Men
Vice President of the Association of World Citizens,
NGO in Consultative Status with ECOSOC and Associated with the UN DPI
President of the Federation of World Peace and Love
April 5, 2024
Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good day:
Thank you to all of our dear friends who have come from afar to celebrate the 5th International Day of Conscience with us. It is my sincere hope that today’s gathering will promote greater awareness of this commemorative day, and guide people to follow their conscience, to honestly face themselves, rectify their wrongs, and perform good deeds through daily introspection. This will help achieve inner peace, accelerate the popularization of conscience education, and foster a culture of love and peace.
I initiated the Movement of An Era of Conscience in 2014, aiming to inspire the awakening of conscience in people worldwide, with the vision “With conscience comes a peaceful world; With happiness comes a joyful family.” Over the ten years since then, this initiative has received widespread international recognition and inspired numerous acts of kindness. On July 25, 2019, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution and designated April 5th as the “International Day of Conscience.” Through activities in response to this day and through endorsements of the Declaration of International Day of Conscience, we aspire to raise awareness of the idea of conscience. Through various ways, we aimed to deeply embed a culture of conscience including love and peace, social justice, and inherent human rights in people’s hearts. Taking concrete actions to create a peaceful world is the foundation for a sustainable world that benefits all beings.
“Conscience” is the code that unifies humans with the universe. It opens our hearts, allowing us to love others as ourselves. It acts as the compass of eternal life, guiding us to set our hearts free; it helps people distinguish right from wrong, truth from falsehood, and good from bad. It also allows us to empathize with the suffering and hardships of others, encourage mutual understanding and cooperation to overcome difficulties and move towards a better future together. It steers us away from war, suffering, fear, and pain, towards the light of hope in life. That’s why today, we once again join hands to emphasize and promote the important value of conscience; it is fundamental, a standard, and the key to changing the fate shared by humanity.
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.” In both Eastern and Western philosophical thoughts, “conscience” is one of the criteria for human behavior. The 18th-century philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau said, “Conscience! Conscience! Divine instinct, immortal celestial voice; it is a reliable guide in ignorant and limited life; conscience is wise and free; it endows people with divinity, impeccably discerning good from evil.” The ancient text “Doctrine of the Mean” in “The Book of Rites” states, “Nothing is more visible than what is hidden, nothing is more manifest than what is subtle. Therefore, the superior man is watchful over himself when he is alone.” Being “watchful when alone” means that even when one is without supervision, one should still strictly demand oneself to act with integrity, adhere to moral principles, and avoid doing anything improper. This internal moral compass helps people make the right choices anytime and anywhere. When individual and collective actions abide by their conscience, society becomes more harmonious and stable; human dignity can be respected, human rights can be upheld, which will promote peace and justice, and reduce conflicts and disputes. When every world citizen uses conscience as a criterion, employs wisdom and compassion to resolve conflicts, treats others with respect and inclusiveness, these acts of kindness and the power of hope will naturally benefit humanity and pave the path of peaceful coexistence.
Admist the challenging international situation, every individual’s conscience can turn it around. I encourage everyone to respect and care for others in daily life; governments, individuals, and organizations demonstrating and practicing this through actions to spark a ripple effect; countries implementing conscience education and promoting the culture of conscience to elevate the collective awakening of conscience of global citizens. It is hoped that all people speak kind words and do good deeds to congregate positive energy and transform it into concrete actions in solidarity. Moreover, governments will address international and national crises with compassion, courage, and true wisdom to actively seek peaceful, harmonious, and beneficial solutions for the Earth and its inhabitants to achieve the sustainable development goals.
The 5th International Day of Conscience marks an important milestone and serves as an opportunity to move the world forward. A world with love and conscience will activate the power of unselfish and altruistic hope for peace. Where there is hope, there will be action, and where there is concerted actions of conscience, there will be success. When everyone is willing to carry out their commitment to peace and collaborate with one another, there will be love in society, and a world filled with love will be peaceful. It is my heartfelt wish that with our joint efforts, we can infuse the energy of conscience, guide the world to unite, balance hardships, create a cycle of goodness, rescue all living beings from existential crises, and alter the fate of Earth towards peace and sustainable development.
May conscience lead the way, the flames of war cease,
World peace reign, sustainability prevail.
Thank you all!