Last Friday, precisely on 5th of April, the world celebrated the importance to live according to our conscience, this is, ethically, with empathy, peacefully, demanding respect for human rights, justice and freedom of speech and against any kind of violence, bullying, injustice, and tyranny. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at https://www.un.org/en/observances/conscience-day#:~:text=Promoting%20a%20Culture%20of%20Peace%20with%20Love%20and%20Conscience. The second was published at https://www.iofc.ch/day-of-conscience-2024. The third was published at https://providencemag.com/2024/04/is-april-5-still-the-uns-international-day-of-conscience/
The preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that "disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of humankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people." Moreover, article 1 of the UDHR states that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." The task of the U.N. to save future generations from the scourge of war requires transformation towards a culture of peace, which consists of values, attitudes and behaviours that reflect and inspire principles of freedom, justice and democracy, tolerance and solidarity, that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation and that guarantee the full exercise of all rights and the means to participate fully in the development process of their society. Conditions of the need for the creation of conditions of stability and well-being peaceful relations based on respect for human rights. The U.N. General Assembly declared 5th April the International Day of Conscience. The General Assembly invite all Member States to build the culture of peace with conscience, including with quality education and public awareness-raising activities. The task of constructing a culture of peace requires comprehensive educational, cultural, social and civic action, in which each person has something to learn and something to give and share. Peace is not only the absence of conflicts. It is a dynamic, participatory process linked to democracy, justice and development for all by which differences are respected and dialogue is encouraged. History proves that leaders of conscience and love, such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela or Malala can shape a future of peace, solidarity and human rights. Love is not just a feeling, experienced individually. It is also a collective force for social justice, world peace and human evolution. According to the resolution adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in July, 2019, the International Day of Conscience is dedicated to the "promotion of a culture of peace with conscience and love". It calls us to rethink the way we can build a lasting peace based on conscience and love. As we witness the escalation of wars and settle into the normality of deadly conflicts between peoples, we want to remember that we are part of the indivisible community of the living. Non-killing societies and non-violent economies are possible, as demonstrated by the WHO's World Violence and Health report. It depends on us to make peace a reality. On 5 April, 2024, we'll be calling for a global shift of paradigm, and address our lack of awareness of our interactive and interconnected reality, as the present world crisis is a relationship crisis. There will be no positive way out, as long as the violence born from separateness prevails over mutual understanding living together. At this point in the long evolution of life on earth, if humanity wants to survive in dignity, the new cognitive step is to move from individualism and competition to altruism and solidarity. In 2019, the U.N. declared April 5, the International Day of Conscience to promote a culture of peace. This day is a solemn time to reflect on what can still be done to combat the forces of tyranny and oppression that still hold so many captives across the globe. April 5 is also a good time to ask if the U.N. still cares about its original mandate of promoting international peace and cooperation on humanitarian problems. Unfortunately, not all members of the U.N. believe in the sanctity of life and the value of freedom. The conscience of over 1 billion people are violated daily by communist regimes around the globe that are members of the U.N. Perhaps the worst example is North Korea, an open-air prison that enslaves and starves its citizens while continually threatening its neighbors with nuclear war. The surveillance state of China, enforces conformity with brutal consequences for those who dare claim allegiance to anything higher than the Communist Party. In Cuba, over 1,000 political prisoners are held captive simply for dreaming of a brighter future. In Venezuela, failed socialist policies have plunged the oil-rich country into poverty while the Maduro regime operates the largest torture center in the Western Hemisphere, "El Helicoide". It is easy to feel cynical when States carrying out mass crimes against human conscience are members of the organization promoting a day of conscience. It is also true that a simple day on the calendar seems to do little to raise awareness of the issues at hand. Nevertheless, it is our responsibility on this day to bear witness to the crimes against those still held captive and to take a stand against all forms of totalitarianism. April 5 provides an educational opportunity to point out the difference between injustice and freedom.
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