Human Rights Day
Conscience inspires good deeds
Wisdom defuses conflict
Love leads to 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
December 10, 2023
Distinguished Guests, Dear friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good day!
This year marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world's most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). In the aftermath of World War II, on 10 December 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since then, human rights have become more recognized and more guaranteed across the globe. The 2023 theme “Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All” has inspired activities across the globe. A year-long initiative, Human Rights 75, focuses on universality, progress and engagement with core value of Human Rights, Prevention and Peace. In 2023, a year of emerging conflicts and geopolitical tensions, the remark of UN Secretary-General António Guterres “We must stand firm against rising intolerance and build a future of dignity, security, justice & human rights for all." is both profound and urgent. I sincerely hope that all the leaders will carefully consider every decision and act for the sake of the future of humanity, put aside hatred, exercise love and tolerance, and resolve conflicts with wisdom. We pray for all wars to stop, the pain to be alleviated and the world to be at peace.
While the UDHR has served as the foundation for an expanding system of human rights protection, the path toward peace is still full of challenges and tests. People or nations often ignore their conscience and go against the truth for the sake of power and fame. “Misunderstandings” sow the seeds of conflict; "respect" is forgotten because of "confrontation", and "sense" is lost when "violence" is engaged. Failure to resolve these negative energies in a timely manner may lead to the accumulation of hatred and danger. The key to resolve all kinds of negative energy is the innate conscience of each person. It is extremely important to cultivate oneself from the heart, otherwise a vicious circle will form and the power of evil temptations would grow strong.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the rapid development of science and technology has empowered the spread of information. Under the current environment, the good and evil thoughts of the human heart will have instant impact to the world; a single thought of goodness will trigger a butterfly effect and create peace, while a single thought of evil will lead to imminent war and chaos, plunging the world into the abyss of endless suffering! The power of goodness in the human heart comes from conscience. Through conscience education, we will be able to build a global view of human rights and peace for the world citizens. Conscience is the core for the cultivation of a culture of human rights and peace, and is an effective remedy to prevent conflicts and resolve crises.
Our world is under the threat expanding wars. At this critical moment of humanity and sustainability, we call for the promotion and deepening of "Conscience Education”, so as to reshape society to fully respect human rights through education of conscience. Thanks to technology, the youth have a lot of opportunities to get in touch with events and obtain information about what is happening all over the world through online platforms or social media, which often occurs outside of traditional family education and school education. In addition, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming more and more popular. Thousands of messages are spreading on the Internet, and it's not easy to tell which is real. How to equip the young generations with the wisdom to distinguish between true and false, good and bad, right and wrong, and to establish a correct outlook on life? How to draw a line between technology, human nature and morality and to ensure that technology can be used in the right way? It is imperative to promote the awakening of "conscience" and take immediate action through the practice of "integrating the culture of conscience education into the use of technological tools". As we emphasize and reiterate the value of conscience on more platforms, love, inclusiveness and respect will follow and expand. Promoting a culture of peace with love and conscience is an "inoculation", a stabilizing force to balance a period of rapid technological change, a human rights and peace initiative that every citizen of the world can practice every day, and the goal of the centenary of the United Nations Human Rights Day.
The survival or destruction of life is rooted in human thought. When people understand that human rights are inherent, conscience is innate, and the world is one, they will know how to respect human rights, be united and co-operative, and the energy of love will bring about a world of common prosperity and goodwill. Not only do we have to use our conscience to repair the fractures in society, but we also have to practice conscience-led prevention to prevent tragedies from reoccurring. Let us sincerely pray for the world, wishing for wars to end soon, awakening of the conscience of the world, to treat each other with courtesy, and to jointly safeguard human rights for the benefit of the world. On the way towards the 2030 goal of sustainable development, it is necessary to unite the good hearts of the world's citizens, to take actions, to awaken the conscience of the world, to inspire people's wisdom, to exert that wisdom to resolve crises, and to protect the Earth with true love. When people have their rights and are in peace and free from disputes, a peaceful and joyful world can be achieved!
Thank you all!
A wish of conscience, put into practice
Daily introspection, gather good thoughts
Safeguard human rights sincerely
Spread love further and peace realized