本章的key message：老子说，如果顺其自然并花时间进行沉思，生活就是美好的。
中国哲学家老子的传记资料很少，据信他生活在公元前六世纪。 然而，尽管有这个谜，他的思想仍然在当今世界上具有重大影响。
为了快速了解老子教授的哲学，有一个通俗的故事：老子与孔子和佛陀一起参加了品酒仪式。 孔子以腐败为己任，认为醋是酸的。专注于世界苦难的佛陀发现了醋的苦味。 但老子认为它尝起来很甜。
这在很大程度上反映了老子最著名的作品《道德经》的存在。《道德经》告诉人们，如果顺其自然的流动，生活的确会变得很甜蜜。 就像水面一样，生活似乎很混乱，但在一个和谐与和平的美丽世界的底下。 要达到这种自然，和谐的流动状态，就必须与道（或“世界之道”）合而为一。
道家哲学的中心思想是，当头脑安静时，一个看似复杂的世界会变得简单，我们就可以实现真正的智慧。
老子还教导我们，大自然有自己的节奏和步调，我们应该遵循而不是抵抗。 当您遵循“道”时，一切都会自然而然地进行，没有必要去匆匆忙忙。
Lao Tzu taught that life is sweet if you follow its natural flow and take time for contemplation.
There’s very little biographical information on Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher believed to have lived during the sixth century BC. Yet, despite this mystery, his ideas are still a major influence in the world today.
To get a quick idea of the kind of philosophy Lao Tzu taught, there’s a popular story that puts him, along with Confucius and the Buddha, at a vinegar tasting ceremony. Confucius, with his views of people being corrupt, found the vinegar sour; Buddha, who focused on the suffering in the world, found the vinegar bitter; but Lao Tzu believed it tasted sweet.
This is very much a reflection on Lao Tzu’s most famous work, Tao Te Ching, which taught people that life can indeed be sweet if you follow its natural flow. Like the surface of a body of water, life can seem chaotic but underneath there’s a beautiful world at harmony and peace. And to reach this state of natural, harmonious flow is to be at one with the Tao, or “the way of the world.”
This may seem like a very abstract concept, but one of the reasons Lao Tzu and Taoism continue to influence the world is that his instructions make it all very concrete.
Central to the Taoist philosophy is the understanding that a seemingly complex world can become simple when the mind is quiet. And when a simple, beautiful life is full of contemplation, we can achieve real wisdom. So let go of all your busy plans and appointments and instead take the time to actually experience the world.
Lao Tzu also teaches us that nature has its own rhythm and pace that we should follow rather than resist. When you follow the Tao, everything will come at its natural time, and there is no point trying to rush things.
Some good examples of this are the grieving process following the loss of a loved one. For many, this is considered a terrible time, so they try to get it over with as quickly as possible. In other instances, you may try to cut corners in the learning process or attempt to form a lasting new relationship overnight.
But unless you want a life full of stress and strain, you need to surrender to the rhythm of life and let these things happen in their own natural way – which takes exactly as long as it needs to, and not a minute less.
For Lao Tzu, the best way to attune yourself to this natural rhythm is to observe nature. So the next time you’re out and about, remind yourself not to rush through your day or your life. Take a moment to sit down and admire the beauty of the trees or the clouds in the sky.
