Federation of World Peace and Love

World Mental Health Day
Promoting Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health with Love and Conscience

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
October 24, 2022

 

Distinguished Guests, Dear Friends, Ladies, and Gentlemen,

Good day!

October 10 is "World Mental Health Day." This day raises public awareness of mental health issues, promotes mental health education, motivates people to learn to take control of their own mental health, and advocates joint efforts and mutual support to create a positive environment where everyone is mentally healthy.

Mental health is a state of psychological well-being and comfort that enables people to cope with and relieve the stresses of life, achieve physical and mental balance, realize their talents, and contribute to society. However, according to the World Mental Health Report released by the WHO in 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant damage to people's mental health. Anxiety and depression prevalence surged by 25% globally in the first year of the pandemic, with almost 1 in 8 people worldwide experiencing a mental disorder. As Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said, "There is no health without mental health." Therefore, the World Federation for Mental Health announced the theme for World Mental Health Day 2022 is “Make mental health for all a global priority.”

The promotion of mental health in the new century must aim at whole-person and comprehensive health education and practice. For nearly 60 years, I have been dedicated to improving the physical, mental, and spiritual health of all people, teaching a regimen of qigong, along with the way to cultivate one’s heart and moral character, and leading global citizens to achieve physical and mental balance, activate their wisdom with love and conscience, and use their wisdom to realize a culture of conscience in order to purify their hearts and attain inner peace.

The "heart" dominates the human body, mind, and soul. Physical health and mental health are interconnected. According to The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, "Anger reverses the flow of qi, joy slows the qi, sadness dissipates the qi, and fear causes the qi to collapse." Qi is the essence of all things and affects the essence of our lives both internally and externally. Amid the financial chaos, inflation, social unrest, and long-term geopolitical conflict, people feel lost, anxious, and stressed, as external factors affect the internal balance. The key to mental health is the attainment of "internal and external balance." By awakening our innate conscience in peace and tranquillity and by reflecting on our own improvement daily, we can eliminate the bad and preserve the good in our hearts, which are the roots of physical and mental health. By practicing qigong, cultivating our hearts and moral character, thinking kind thoughts, and nurturing positive energy, we can remove illness and calm our spirit, maintaining peace and stability in a turbulent environment. This will allow us to achieve what the WHO refers to as "a state of complete physical, mental and social health."

Building a society that is open and supportive of mental health requires the concerted efforts of people and their government. Those whose conscience is awakened will devote themselves to cultivating their kind hearts, thinking kind thoughts, speaking kind words, doing good deeds, and spreading positivity. A conscience-driven government prioritizes the well-being of its people, continues to correct and improve the nation's administrative, judicial, and tax systems, provides for its citizens with good social welfare, and practices good conscience-based governance to safeguard its citizens' mental health. When people feel their governments are looking out for them and when their human rights are protected, a peaceful energy field will be created, with which we can build peaceful and harmonious families, communities, societies, and nations.

Conscience is the antidote for the heart, the wellspring of love, and the hope for a sustainable future. Conscience is the sparkling treasure in everyone's heart. Let us listen to the call of our conscience, which will guide us on the right path and nourish healthy bodies, minds, and souls. With conscience, we can build a society and a nation of love, justice, peace, and happiness.

May conscience lead the way.

May everyone be blessed with health and safety.

May the light of hope illuminate the world.

Thank you all!