Federation of World Peace and Love

Balancing Extremes to Defuse a Crisis
Promoting the Culture of Peace with Love and Conscience

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze
President of Federation of World Peace and Love
2019.02.06

Your Excellency, Ambassadors, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon!

It is a great pleasure to meet you all today. The encounter with anyone in our lives is not a mere coincidence, and our gathering here signifies that all of us are heroes of love and conscience. We will create a culture of peace with love and conscience to shape a more sustainable and wonderful world.

After ushering in 2019, the world has seen even more extreme events: extreme heat and extreme cold, the growing divide between the rich and the poor, and the widening gap between superpowers and weaker nations. These imbalances have caused many people to feel even more disturbed and uneasy, and feelings of restlessness, fear, and anxiety will aggravate environmental degradation. The world is facing unprecedented challenges in all aspects, and the heightening crises are warnings to mankind: We are running a race against time, and every second counts! It is imperative to take actions now to save our only home--the Earth. We have to act before it is too late.

The Earth and humankind face very pressing problems, and we need to work together to solve them. I would like to take this opportunity to share three principles that can be used to overcome the imminent global crisis. 

1. Conscience is the source of everything

The heart is the root of everything. People’s conducts result from the influence of the heart. The chain reaction brought by a single thought can influence the destiny of the world.

 “Conscience is the ultimate judge in everyone’s heart; Heaven and Earth are watching us.” Our innate conscience can guide us to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad, and true from false. Throughout history, conscience has been the key factor that has enabled people to steer clear of danger when encountering major crises and allowed them to do good deeds selflessly and bravely.

In the face of the ever-changing environment, if people focus on material pursuit, they will lose direction in life and feel disoriented, frustrated, or powerless. However, when people follow the conscience deep inside their hearts, they will feel at ease and steadfast under any circumstances and become insightful and capable of doing the right thing at the right time.  

2. Love oneself and others

Love transcends all barriers. There are differences and similarities among all living creatures; these differences and similarities should not cause indifference or hatred. In recent years, disputes have resulted from differences, and intolerance of variations in belief, race, political party, and standpoint has led to conflicts and even wars, damaging people’s livelihoods and existence.

Only love can embrace differences. We are all living beings on the planet, and we are all global citizens, so we should focus on the wonderful qualities that make us human. To resolve conflicts and contradictions, we should respect the truth that “All things follow the law of nature. The origins of heaven, earth and human beings are one.” People should start to follow their conscience in everything they think and do. All things happening to an individual, a group, a nation, or the world follow a certain rule. Showing respect to others is the key to building mutual respect, and that can start with the willingness to understand each other. When we learn to accept one another’s differences, harmony will naturally be created. If influential leaders around the world can practice these ideas, they will treat others as their family, love themselves and others, treat people of other countries as siblings, and love their own country and other countries.

3. Staying Balanced and Focused 

Trade disputes involve business interests, as international disputes involve conflicts between nations. The key to facilitating legal reforms or the works of international trade organizations within or outside the UN lies in encouraging cooperation, coordination, and unity among organizations to avoid repetitive work and enhance modernization, effectiveness, consistency, and continuity in international trade regulations.

In order to prevent conflicts and initiate appropriate reconstruction after a conflict, the United Nations plays an important role in coordinating different nations and enhancing communication among them. It should be independent, just, and impartial and solve problems objectively. It also needs to have sufficient knowledge and experiences about the arguments from the two disputing parties, propose constructive and convincing solutions, build partnerships, and use resources effectively so that it can get twice the result with half the effort.

 “To stay balanced and focused” is an important principle in Chinese martial arts. “Staying balanced” means to avoid leaning to either side. Keeping the body upright and breathing evenly is in line with the philosophy of balance. “Staying focused” means to focus your attention on your intention. Your thoughts will guide the flow of the qi (energy) in your body, and your body will move following the flow of the qi (energy).

Staying balanced and staying focused complement each other, and both are indispensable. One cannot stay focused without staying balanced, and vice versa. Staying balanced is the prerequisite of staying focused, and staying focused is essential for staying balanced.

Staying balanced and focused is the “tao” of balance, which can resolve conflicts. The “tao” means the method and the way. Heads of state, leaders, and ordinary people can apply the concept of “staying balanced and focused” to their decision-making and execution of plans when attempting to reach a consensus. Interdependent and interrelated, world citizens are encouraged to unite themselves with wisdom and love to safeguard the Earth, our only home. That is a good way to save the world.

The principle of Tai Ji and the philosophy of yin and yang are gems of wisdom that have been passed down for millennia, which can be employed to defuse the current crisis. Based on this philosophy, the top priority is to calm people’s hearts, so we have to slow down our breathing, quiet our hearts, listen to the voice deep inside, find the conscience which is covered with dust, and listen to the calling of love to awaken our conscience. Conscience enables us to become broad-minded and guides us to love ourselves and others as well as love our country and other countries. Conscience is the driving force for peace. With conscience comes a peaceful world. With happiness comes a joyful family. 

To sum up, to balance extremes, we need to stay balanced and focused. Defusing a crisis requires the participation of all people. The world is one big family, so everyone should fulfill his/her duty to protect the Earth, coexist in harmony with all living things, as well as respect and sincerely interact with one another. We are all brothers and sisters and should spread true love across the globe. Love and peace are the key to the world’s sustainable future. Let us promote these values for ourselves, our families, our countries, the world, and future generations. Let us move forward hand in hand. Let us work together to create a culture of peace with love and conscience. Every kind deed we do will leave its imprint in history and will allow the world to move toward a brighter future.   

Thank you all!

* Presented in the World Leader Summit of Love and Peace at the United Nations
on Feb. 6, 2019 in New York.