Background
UN statistics shows that more than 840 million people still live in starvation. However, the wasted food in a year amounted to 1.3 billion tons, enough to feed 2 billion people. In the past year, geopolitical risks were on the rise due to territorial disputes. Many civilian protests against government malfunctioning turned into bloody chaos. What is even worse is that the threat of nuclear weapon has never gone away. In the past one hundred years, the average temperature on earth has risen by 0.8 degree Celsius. If the average temperature rises by 2 degree Celsius, it will cause great instability to the climate pattern and put mankind’s continued existence at risk. We have seen calamities after calamities as a result. The trust among people is collapsing. What do we do in the face of the disorderly world?
In the 53rd UN Annual NGO Conference in 2000, Dr. Hong Tao-Tze, president of the Federation of World Peace and Love, has advocated “The dawn of the new century has come amid the turbulences of the 20th century. Global solidarity is imperative and urgently needed. Only with international cooperation will the path to peace be reached. NGOs and world citizens play a pivotal role as great facilitators.”
In the face of heightening international tension, risk can be triggered at any moment. It is difficult to tell true from false, good from bad and right from wrong. People’s hearts are surrounded with anxieties and uncertainties. On January 1 of 2014, the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), Association of World Citizens (AWC), and Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy jointly promulgated the movement of “An Era of Conscience.” Everyone is the leader and guide of his/her own conscience. The key to unlocking the energy of peace is in everyone’s hand. We hope that everyone will speak kind words and do good deeds to spread the positive influences of goodness. Dr. Hong Tao-Tze said, “Kind intentions and good hearts are the positive energies necessary to safeguard the earth’s sustainable development.” We should start from ourselves and spread the message of goodness to others. When the energies of goodness are connected, spread and expanded, the ideal world of one world with love and peace will become a reality.
The movement has received widespread recognitions and feedbacks. A designated website at www.aneoc.org has been created to become the platform of communications and exchanges. The initial ceremony of An Era of Conscience will be held on February 16. Let’s consolidate our kind words and good deeds to create a world of love and peace for the earth’s sustainable future and mankind’s common welfare.
Introduction to the organizers
The Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL)
Established in 2000 in the United States of America by Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) is an international peace organization with members from 137 nations. Guided by the principle of “Changing the world for the better starts with one good thought”, FOWPAL aims to promote world peace and love through various activities such as world summits of love and peace, ceremonies of ringing the “Bell of World Peace and Love,” and cultural exchange programs.
Since its inception, FOWPAL has inspired world leaders to make commitments to world peace and to take real actions to achieve peace. The efforts have led to peaceful resolutions of conflicts in Central America and Africa. As of today, 583 world leaders from 150 nations have rung the “Bell of World Peace and Love”, including 72 heads of state and government, 15 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, UN ambassadors, and elite leaders in various fields. (As of September 24th, 2024)
The Association of World Citizens (AWC)
The Association of World Citizen’s concept of “world citizenship” began in 1975, the 30th anniversary of the United Nations, when representatives of world citizens gathered in San Francisco to hold the first World Citizens Assembly (WCA). The Association of World Citizens has worldwide membership spanning more than 50 nations. AWC is an international peace organization in consultative status with ECOSOC and associated with the UN Department of Public Information (DPI). AWC strives to promote world peace by consolidating energies from civil organizations and works on global projects transcending national boundaries, especially in the fields of conflict resolution, human rights and ecologically-sound development.
In 1988, it was instrumental in working for nuclear arms reductions made between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The 2001 World Citizen Assembly (WCA 2001) held in Taipei, Taiwan, was listed as one of the major conferences of the year by the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The resolution of WCA 2001 was made as the Peace Declaration which formed the foundation of Declarations for Human Rights of World Citizens and Peace and a global endorsement campaign was launched.
A point was highlighted that global solidarity was imperative and urgently needed and we should strive for a new century of peace for humanity in the new age. In 2004, AWC presented to the United Nations the endorsements of 2 million world citizens from 158 nations for the Declarations for Human Rights of World Citizens and Peace. In addition, the World Summit on Human Rights for World Citizens was organized in 2010, gathering over 250,000 articles from world citizens spanning 196 countries as part of the event. Over the decades, AWC has closely followed world affairs and provided valuable suggestions to relevant authorities.
Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy (TJM)
Tai Ji Men is a traditional menpai (similar to a school) of martial arts, qigong and self-cultivation with thousands years of history. Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, Zhang-men-ren (leader) of Tai Ji Men, inherited the wisdom of patriarchs from prior generations. Dr. Hong established the Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy in 1966 with the philosophy of “nurturing the universe’s true energy, and following the good examples set by ancient sages.” As such Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy, an international non-profit organization, is dedicated to promoting the fine essences of TJM cultures and advancing the physical, mental and spiritual health of world citizens. In addition to teaching his dizi (similar to students) the philosophy of yin and yang and wisdom of life, Dr. Hong guides them to cultivate moral characters, purify hearts and nourish positive energies to reach the state of heart and qi being one.
Tai Ji Men dizi are located in different parts of the world with diverse backgrounds and walks of life. Out of fraternity, brotherhood and a wish for world peace, Dr. Hong and his dizi have been spreading the seeds of love and peace around the globe through cultural exchange programs, cultural goodwill visits, public welfare symposiums, and seminars of education on love and peace. Over the years, Tai Ji Men has organized over 3,000 cultural programs, totaling over 20 million man-hours of performances. They have visited over 300 cities in more than 100 nations spreading the message of love and peace. More than 30,000 public welfare symposiums have been held to share the wisdom of yin yang philosophy. Over 10,000 reports of Tai Ji Men dizi’s life stories have been published in different media to encourage and inspire people. Seminars of education of love, peace and human rights have been held in more than 500 campuses around the world. Dr. Hong and his Tai Ji Men dizi have been dedicated to promoting and sharing goodness with a goal of enriching people’s lives with health, happiness, wealth, blessings and wisdom.
Emblem
Emblem
Conscience is the key of heart, unlocking good thoughts and good actions. Conscience is the prescription of heart, protecting the earth and its people. A smile of conscience is a symbol of love and joy in our hearts.
Everyone is the leader of his/her own conscience. Let’s spread and promote good thoughts, kind hearts, positive words, and right actions to make the world better and brighter.
Hand gesture and slogan
Make a closed hand with your right hand (representing your conscience) and place it before the chest, and then cover the right closed hand with the left (representing other people's conscience). This hand gesture symbolizes that “You and I will safeguard our conscience to jointly create an era of love and peace.”
How to participate
The website of the movement is to consolidate words and stories of conscience in actions so that people around the world are able to communicate, exchange and inspire newer and better ideas to forge waves upon waves of powerful positive energy. Your words of conscience and practical actions will bring hope and light to the world. Please join us in the following ways.
A. Ways to participate as an individual:
1. Write a paragraph: send in your words, experiences, and practical actions for An Era of Conscience in a short article (preferably no more than 300 words), with a picture of you performing the hand gesture as shown in the picture on the right. Click on the “Submit” button on the web page.
2. Record a video: record a 30-second video clip or voice memo for An Era of Conscience. Email the recording to info.aneoc@gmail.com with your name, organization, and title; our representative will contact you upon receipt.
Draw or paint: email your drawing or painting for an era of conscience to info.aneoc@gmail.com with your name, organization, and title; our representative will contact you upon receipt.
B. Participate as an organization:
Your esteemed organization is invited to participate as a co-organizer of the movement. Please download the form “Proposal of Joint Promotion” on our website for more details. After conducting the event of “An Era of Conscience” within your organization, your organization will share the results of the event. Click on “Co-organizer/Join us” and provide us the name of the organization, its category, nationality, website, summary of the event, contact person, contact number, contact email and picture(s) from the event. Your organization is welcome to download “An Era of Conscience” banner and use it on your website or link it to our official website http://www.aneoc.org/en.
Promote
Copyright Claim
Words of conscience
- Please share your words of conscience or other practical actions in writing, less than 300 words preferred. Hold the hand gesture as illustrated in the right chart. Take the picture of you with the hand gesture and upload the file.
- Your hereby agree to grant authority to use the words and picture to this website and the promoters of An Era of Conscience including Federation of World Peace and Love, Association of World Citizens, and Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy.
- This website reserves the right to partially revise, reproduce or translate your words. However under no circumstances will the revision, reproduction or translation alter the original intentions or meanings.
- The picture may be edited or trimmed to better fit the design of the website.
- In order to spread the good message of your words of conscience, you herby allow this website to link with other social media networks such as but not limited to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Weibo.
Audio and video clips
- Your hereby agree to grant authority to use the audio or video clips to this website and the promoters of An Era of Conscience including Federation of World Peace and Love, UN/NGO Association of World Citizens, and Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy.
- This website reserves the right to partially revise, reproduce or translate your audios or videos. However under no circumstances will the revision, reproduction or translation alter the original intentions or meanings.
- The picture may be edited or trimmed to better fit the design of the website.
- In order to spread the good message of your words of conscience, you herby allow this website to link with other social media networks such as but not limited to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Weibo.
Co-promoters
- Your hereby agree to grant authority to use the pictures and words or your organization to this website and the promoters of An Era of Conscience including Federation of World Peace and Love, UN/NGO Association of World Citizens, and Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy.
- This website reserves the right to partially revise, reproduce or translate your words. However under no circumstances will the revision, reproduction or translation alter the original intentions or meanings.
- The picture may be edited or trimmed to better fit the design of the website.
- In order to spread the good message of your words of conscience, you herby allow this website to link with other social media networks such as but not limited to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Weibo.
Drawings or comics
- Please write a few sentences, less than 100 words preferred, to express the thoughts of the drawing or comic and upload the words and drawings.
- Your hereby agree to grant authority to use the drawing or comic to this website and the promoters of An Era of Conscience including Federation of World Peace and Love, Association of World Citizens, and Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy.
- This website reserves the right to partially revise, reproduce or translate your words. However under no circumstances will the revision, reproduction or translation alter the original intentions or meanings.
- In order to spread the good message of your words of conscience, you herby allow this website to link with other social media networks such as but not limited to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Weibo.