Celebrating the UN’s Declaration of April 5th as the International Day of Conscience
An Evening of Love, Peace and Conscience
Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze
President of Federation of World Peace and Love
2019.10.10
On April 5th, the International Day of Conscience was launched at the United Nations in Vienna. Later in July, during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, the United Nations adopted a resolution submitted by the Kingdom of Bahrain and declared April 5th the International Day of Conscience. Today means a lot to us because we are back in Vienna, where this day was launched, to celebrate this important milestone.
The designation of April 5th the International Day of Conscience by the UN is a significant progress for peace in the history of mankind. This achievement was made possible through the relentless efforts of numerous heroes of conscience. The International Day of Conscience is meant to activate sincere and pure hearts, inspire good deeds and extend selfless collaboration to achieve peace and common prosperity. This is a truly inspiring moment and a hopeful start. This represents that the ideas of love, peace, and conscience are supported by the entire international community, and it is all nations’ responsibility to implement these ideas and to bring blessings to the world. When we connect each person’s conscience, we will form a “protective net” for the Earth. When every global citizen participates, this net will become even more tightly-knit and stronger.
Just like a sailor searches for a lighthouse or a night traveler looks up at the starry sky, the compass of conscience embedded in each of us reminds us to self-reflect and become aware of our conscience in our fast-paced lives. The compass leads us to overcome adversity, to return to our true selves, and to do the right things and make wise decisions. When we have the right frame of reference, our path becomes clear. This is how we make peace with ourselves. Once we develop a resilient capability for love, we can promote a culture of peace through love and conscience.
When our hearts are at peace, we naturally treat others in a kind manner and our interactions with others become more harmonious, which gradually forms a culture of peace. Those who are immersed in this culture affect one another and further expand the impact of kindness and good deeds. For many years, FOWPAL’s love and peace endeavors across the globe aim to encourage all people to behave in accordance with conscience and exercise kindness in their daily lives. In doing so, we can form a culture of peace and foster peace in our families, communities, nations, and the world.
The International Day of Conscience paves the way to world peace and love. We are excited to move forward with all of you here today. We are also thrilled to see that during the World Leader Summit this afternoon, many of you openly shared your views and pragmatic approaches to promoting a culture of peace with love and conscience. For years, all of you have endeavored in your positions to spread the seeds of conscience. As we go forward, we must continue motivating one another to multiply and expand the impact of kindness so that all world citizens will exercise their own influence and the culture of conscience will become rooted in each corner of the world. In the U.S., four cities have already offered to host activities associated with the International Day of Conscience. The field of conscience is already expanding.
We live for only a few short decades.
We must make the most of our time and thoughtfully cultivate our hearts.
Conscience guides the way to brightness.
Good opportunities and connections will be collectively created.
Tonight, let’s cheer for the International Day of Conscience for all mankind! Let’s celebrate this new beginning!
* Presented during a gala dinner in celebration of the United Nations' designation of April 5 as
the International Day of Conscience on Oct. 10, 2019 in Vienna, Austria