Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy

The Bell of World Peace and Love in Greece brings hope for sustainable human civilization and culture

While the world is still mired in intensifying wars and worsening climate change, the "Doomsday Clock" warning has entered the final 90 seconds. The FOWPAL delegation, led by Dr. Hong Tao-Tze, the leader of Tai Ji Men and the President of Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), visited Greece in early July this year (2024). On July 4, they met with Christos Veronis, the Mayor of the famous resort island Mykonos. Dr. Hong rang the Bell of World Peace and Love in front of the city hall to promote the ideals of conscience, love and peace. The ceremony aimed to connect people internationally to inject positive energy into the world and strive for more opportunities for human survival.

Greece is the birthplace of global democracy, and democracy is the cornerstone of peace. Dr. Hong has traveled to 104 countries around the world with numerous FOWPAL members and Tai Ji Men disciples. They brought the seeds of love and peace to the world through their aspirations and actions. Mayor Veronis felt deeply honored that Greece was the 104th country they visited. He strongly agreed with Dr. Hong's message that people should love others, love the environment, and cherish life. Mayor Veronis mentioned that Mykonos is a protected island, and the local city government is protecting the island and the environment through many environmentally friendly building practices.

In the bustling City Hall Square filled with tourists, the volunteers from FOWPAL brought wonderful performances and interacted closely with the people. Through songs and dances, they reminded people of the preciousness and importance of peace, encouraging people to awaken kindness and good intentions. They urged practical actions to balance economic development with ecology, to achieve world peace, and to protect our home.

The volunteers noted that Greece, as the birthplace of Western civilization, not only possesses numerous World Heritage sites, but each monument also bears witness to the trajectory of human history and civilization development. However, in recent years, extreme weather conditions have posed a serious threat to Greece's millennia-old monuments. According to Greek research, climate change has a significant impact on cultural heritage, and there is a possibility that the Acropolis in Athens and the ancient Greek sanctuary of Delos Island may disappear in the future.

Young volunteers interacted closely with the public through singing and dancing. The volunteers expressed that they hoped to remind people of the preciousness and importance of peace through cultural exchanges, encouraging them to awaken kindness and good intentions, and take practical actions to balance economic development with ecology, achieve world peace, and protect our home. Paula, a tourist from Brazil, was deeply moved and said, "Peace is something we must spread among all nations." Nicholas Del Morilis, a local Australian-Greek, was attracted by the volunteers' beautiful singing and strongly agreed with their efforts to promote love and peace around the world.

According to Greek studies, climate change has a significant impact on cultural heritage, and some monuments and islands may even disappear in the future. Before the "Doomsday Clock" reaches its final countdown, the FOWPAL delegation rang the Peace Bell to awaken conscience, hoping to bring about harmony between people and between humans and nature. This harmony may help alleviate the crisis of environmental imbalance and sustain human civilization and culture.