Taoism not only occupies an important position in China's traditional culture, but also has positive practical significance for modern human life.

Taoism advocates "natural inaction", which has profound enlightenment for modern people to adjust their mentality and correct their behavior. Natural inaction is the fundamental attribute of Tao and the basic criterion of people's behavior. If modern people can face everything with a "let nature take its course" mentality, they can not only maintain their personal mental health, but also put an end to many social disputes. Of course, the so-called "natural inaction" here does not mean passive world-weary inaction, but refers to not acting rashly according to law, and its ultimate goal is to achieve "inaction." Taoism opposes negative inaction and advocates positive action. For example, on the one hand, it thinks that Tao is "silent and motionless" (inaction), on the other hand, it can "move with things" (all actions). Therefore, the so-called "saints" should also "be quiet and treat themselves, be perfect in inner saints, move and understand things, and have a successful career in foreign kings." Not only that, Taoism also advocates that "my life is in my absence" and that people change their destiny through hard work in this world; When Taoism advocates a positive attitude towards life, it puts great emphasis on "following principles" and "following objective laws", and opposes reckless actions based on personal subjective wishes such as "burning a well and irrigating mountains on Huai River".

Taoism's "natural inaction" may also give some enlightenment to managers in modern society. Throughout several heydays in China's history, such as the "rule of literary scene" in the Han Dynasty, the "rule of zhenguan" in the Tang Dynasty, and the prosperity of Kaiyuan, its top managers all followed the training of "governing by doing nothing" in Taoism. On the other hand, many failed managers in history like to use their power to interfere with the normal operation of society (or industries and enterprises) (such as the rigid "planned economy" system in Chinese mainland in the last century, and the feat of "how bold people are and how productive the land is"). From this, we can deeply understand the realistic value of the Taoist concept of "natural inaction".

Taoism also advocates tolerance, which is beneficial to modern people. ~' s success and keeping a good mood are also very enlightening. Lao Tzu said, "Let's be public, and public is king. According to this instruction, Taoism in later generations "learned from Confucianism and Mohism, summed up the essence of naming methods" and absorbed the strengths of various theories before it gradually developed into a "miscellaneous and multifaceted" religion and eventually became a "Chinese root". The success of a career needs tolerance. This example is not limited to Taoism. For example, the glory of modern Peking University depends on the style laid by Cai Yuanpei's "inclusive" school-running policy, and the development of contemporary China depends on the basic national policy of "reform and opening up" formulated by Deng Xiaoping, which is also a typical example; The opposite examples are the academic defects caused by "inbreeding", the decline of the country caused by "closed door" and so on. Not only the development of a country, a school (a group) needs inclusive policies, but also the success of a leader and an ordinary person needs inclusive broadmindedness. This is what we usually say, "Listening is bright, listening is dark", "The prime minister can hold a boat in his stomach" and "Harmony without difference". In addition, tolerance is not only a strategy for career success, but also an open-minded attitude towards life, which also means tolerance for others and dissidents. If we can treat others with a tolerant attitude when interacting with others, it is not difficult to have a harmonious interpersonal relationship, so that we can keep a good mood and stay away from the worry of "being petty and worrying too much". ".

Taoist belief in immortals is also of positive significance to modern human life. Although immortality is a unique belief of Taoism, this belief is essentially consistent with the ultimate pursuit of various religions; Whether it is a fairyland of Taoism, a pure land of Buddhism or a paradise of Christianity, its essence is to transcend this world, belong to the spiritual sustenance of mankind and stay on the other side of the beautiful world forever. Moreover, Taoist belief in immortals also contains many practical values. For example, its worship of longevity is to cherish people's life and physical health, while its pursuit of longevity requires people to pay attention to spiritual cultivation. As for its practice methods such as guiding, activating qi, taking food and massage, it also has important medical health preservation value and is of great benefit to improving the quality of life of modern people.

Taoism's pursuit of staying on the other side does not mean giving up the real world on this side. Taoism advocates the combination of "being born" and "joining the WTO", and holds that "benevolence" is "the order of immortal Taoism", showing a strong spirit of "saving the world". The spirit of "saving the world" is reflected not only in his moral norms of purity and honesty, but also in his ceremony of fasting to save the world. This spirit of "saving the world" is undoubtedly positive for the development and progress of the real society. It is precisely because Taoism has a strong spirit of "saving the world" that most of its thoughts contain what we call "human rights" today-Taoism not only values life, but also advocates equality between men and women, racial equality, freedom and democracy, and advocates getting rich through labor and doing more charity. These concepts all reflect the concern of Taoism for "people", and their practical significance is self-evident.

Taoism not only cares about people, but also cares about nature, and attaches great importance to the harmonious coexistence between people and nature, which is exactly the "environmental protection" issue that we are keen to discuss today. Taoism believes that man and everything are the same way, that is, "heaven and earth coexist with me, and everything is one with me", so man should live in harmony with nature and cannot destroy the natural environment at will. For example, the Taoist scriptures "Persuade the world to be reasonable" said: "All birds and animals, fish, turtles, shrimps and crabs are in the wild, and they do not compete with people for drinking, eating and living. Born with all things in the world, born according to the qi of the four seasons, all have life. ..... If you shoot it with a bow for no reason, you will find a crime without guilt, and there will be strange disasters in the future. In the form of precepts, Lao Jun said that the "180 Commandments" stipulated "Do not cut down trees", "Do not plant flowers", "Do not throw poison into deep pools, rivers and seas" and "Do not climb trees to explore nests and break eggs". The obituary of Emperor Wen Chang also advised people not to climb mountains and clean birds, and "Do not poison fish and shrimp when facing water". These commandments are early environmental protection measures. In addition, Taoism also follows Laozi's teaching of "simplicity, selfishness and no desire", and advocates "getting something for nothing, robbing the monarch for nothing, taking honor without eating five flavors, being naked and being vulgar", which is also of great reference significance for us to establish the concept of moderate consumption, put an end to the development of "fishing with exhausted resources" and maintain sustainable development.

In a word, ancient Taoism has a lot of positive significance to modern human life. Some people even think that Taoist studies is a university, full of praise and education, which runs through China and the West and connects ancient and modern times. Its value concept system can entrust the attention of all mankind to the value of life, and because of its all-encompassing and all-encompassing character, it can serve as the intersection of eastern and western cultures, and build a new world cultural model on this basis to solve various problems faced by all mankind today.