Traveling through time and space.

Chapter 229 The Value of Taoist Culture in Public Welfare Volunteer Service

Mu Yang walked out of the biotech company's conference room, the sun shining down on him, bringing a touch of warmth. At this moment, his mind was still swirling with many ideas about metabolomics research and health management applications, but he always had a belief in his heart: business development cannot move forward in isolation; giving back to society and devoting himself to public welfare are unshirkable responsibilities. He keenly perceived that in the current era of booming social welfare services, the Taoist culture of compassion, altruism, and saving the world is highly consistent with the spirit of public welfare. Like a treasure trove of endless energy, it can inject new vitality into public welfare and open up a unique path for public welfare. Carrying a sense of mission and accomplishment in the value of Taoist culture in public welfare volunteer service, Mu Yang resolutely decided to fully promote the in-depth practice of Taoist culture in the field of public welfare.

Mu Yang arrived at the public welfare volunteer service organization's office. Though small, the space was simply and warmly decorated. The walls were covered with photos of volunteer activities, each capturing a touching moment of volunteer dedication. There were the innocent smiles of children donating books to impoverished areas, and heartwarming moments of accompanying the elderly at a nursing home. Director Li, the head of the public welfare volunteer service organization, warmly greeted Mu Yang. Director Li's eyes were filled with anticipation for cooperation, as if he saw a new opportunity for development in public welfare.

"Hello, Director Li! I came here this time to discuss with you the possibility of integrating Taoist culture into public welfare volunteer services. Taoist culture has a long history, and its concepts such as kindness and altruism coincide with the purpose of public welfare services. We can integrate these concepts into the organization's purpose and cultural construction, add profound cultural connotations to public welfare services, and make public welfare more profound and warm." Mu Yang said with a smile, his eyes revealing determination and expectation, as if he had already seen the beautiful scene of the perfect integration of Taoist culture and public welfare services.

Director Li responded excitedly, "Mr. Mu, this is a fantastic idea! We've always been committed to improving the quality and influence of public welfare services, and the integration of Taoist culture will definitely bring us new ideas. However, integrating Taoist culture into public welfare volunteer services requires a considerable investment of resources. Take the development of training materials, for example. We need to invite professional cultural scholars to write them, which is a considerable expense. A preliminary estimate is that it will cost approximately [X] million yuan to develop a comprehensive and high-quality training material. As for event organization, every public welfare event related to Taoist culture requires a lot of financial support, from venue rental, event planning, to publicity and promotion. Moreover, we are not sure how much actual effect these investments will bring, which makes us a little hesitant when making decisions. After all, public welfare organizations have limited funding sources, and every penny must be spent wisely."

After thinking for a moment, Mu Yang said, "Director Li, your concerns are very reasonable. Although the initial investment is large, in the long run, the integration of Taoist culture can enhance the uniqueness and appeal of public welfare services, and attract more people to pay attention to and participate in public welfare. We can actively seek sponsorship from companies and social organizations that have a strong interest in Taoist culture, explain our public welfare philosophy and project planning to them, and win their support. At the same time, we can mobilize volunteers with relevant knowledge backgrounds within the organization to participate in the compilation of teaching materials, give full play to their professional advantages, so as to ensure the quality of the teaching materials and reduce labor costs. In terms of effect evaluation, we have formulated detailed and scientific evaluation indicators, considering multiple aspects such as the satisfaction of service recipients, social influence, and the increase in the number of people participating in public welfare activities, to ensure that every investment can bring tangible benefits."

To better integrate Taoist culture into public welfare volunteer services, Mu Yang and Director Li organized a volunteer training session. In the training room, enthusiastic volunteers gathered together. They came from diverse walks of life, ranging from energetic college students to experienced professionals and retirees dedicated to public welfare. But at this moment, they all shared a common passion and aspiration: a desire to learn new knowledge and concepts and enhance their public welfare service capabilities. Professor Zhang, a Taoist cultural scholar invited by Mu Yang, took the podium. Dressed in traditional attire and displaying a refined demeanor, he cleared his throat and began to vividly recount acts of kindness from Taoist stories.

"Everyone knows that Taoism advocates 'benefiting things and helping people'. In ancient times, there was a Taoist priest who collected herbs in the deep mountains and old forests all year round, not afraid of hardships and difficulties. Whenever the people living in the mountains fell ill, he would not hesitate to give them medicine for free, and personally boiled medicine for the patients and took good care of them. He worked tirelessly and ran between villages just to save more lives. His good deeds touched countless people. This is a vivid embodiment of the Taoist spirit of love..." Professor Zhang's narration was vivid, as if bringing everyone into that ancient scene full of warmth. The volunteers listened with gusto, sighed from time to time, and were deeply moved by the kindness and dedication contained in Taoist culture.

However, during the training, the differences and conflicts between traditional Taoist culture and modern public service culture in terms of concepts and practices gradually emerged. A young volunteer couldn't help but ask, "Professor Zhang, some Taoist concepts are quite abstract. How can we apply them concretely in actual public service? For example, Taoism emphasizes adapting to nature, which seems to conflict with our proactive approach to helping others. How should we understand this?"

Professor Zhang smiled and patiently explained, "Taoism's adherence to nature doesn't mean passive inaction, but rather actively helping others based on following the laws of development. In public service, we must deeply understand the actual needs of the recipients and help them in the most appropriate and appropriate way. This is also a manifestation of conforming to nature. For example, when we help children in impoverished areas, we don't simply provide material aid. Instead, we provide targeted educational resources and guidance based on their learning progress, interests, and local educational resources. This is the concrete practice of conforming to nature in public service."

After the training, the volunteers, armed with new ideas and enthusiasm, arrived at the community service site to begin their service. They meticulously planned a Taoist health lecture to educate community residents on health preservation methods. The community activity center was packed with eager listeners, their faces beaming with anticipation. Some arrived early to exchange their perspectives on health preservation, while others brought notebooks to carefully record the lecture.

Volunteer Xiao Wang stood on the podium, full of energy, and explained Taoist health knowledge seriously: "You see, Taoist health-preserving exercises focus on the harmonious unity of body and mind. Like Tai Chi, it has slow and gentle movements. Through the perfect coordination of breathing and movement, it can regulate body functions and enhance immunity. Long-term practice of Tai Chi can not only strengthen the body, but also make people's mentality more peaceful..." Xiao Wang explained and demonstrated the movements at the same time. The residents listened attentively, and from time to time someone raised their hand to ask questions. The atmosphere on the scene was very lively.

After the lecture, an elderly man said with emotion, "This health-preserving knowledge is so useful. I didn't know there was so much knowledge in Taoism. Thank you volunteers for giving us such a great lecture. We have learned new health-preserving methods."

In addition to health lectures, volunteers also carried out activities to care for the elderly and widowed. Mu Yang and the volunteers visited the home of a woman named Li, who lived alone and had some difficulties in her daily life. Upon entering, the volunteers greeted Li warmly, and a long-lost smile appeared on her face. With a caring spirit inspired by Taoist culture, the volunteers gathered around Li, chatting with her and listening to her stories. Li's eyes sparkled as she recalled the details of her youth, and the volunteers listened with rapt attention, occasionally exclaiming and laughing. Some volunteers volunteered to help clean and tidy the room, meticulously wiping the furniture, sweeping the floor, and keeping the house in perfect order.

Grandma Li was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes: "Thank you, children! You are just like my own grandchildren, bringing so much warmth to an old woman like me. I live alone, and it's rare for me to have such a lively time. I am so happy today."

At the charity event, volunteers, embracing the compassion advocated by Taoist culture, actively participated in material donations and fundraising. This time, the effort was to raise supplies for areas devastated by natural disasters. At the event, volunteers busily moved among the crowds, carrying donated supplies and meticulously registering donation information. Though their faces wore a trace of fatigue, their eyes were filled with determination and warmth.

A passerby was infected by the enthusiasm and dedication of the volunteers and took the initiative to donate: "Seeing you working so hard for the disaster-stricken people, I also want to do my part. This is a little gift from me, I hope it can help them." As he said, he put the donation in his hand into the donation box, and then helped the volunteers to carry the supplies.

However, during the promotion of public welfare services, potential conflicts with other mainstream public welfare concepts in terms of audience attention and resource acquisition gradually emerged. The head of another public welfare organization approached Mu Yang with a slightly serious expression: "Your recent Taoist cultural public welfare activities have attracted a lot of attention and also received sponsorship from some companies. This makes it difficult for our public welfare projects to obtain resources. We are all doing public welfare, so this kind of competition is not good, right? We are all working hard for public welfare, but resources are limited. If your activities become popular, we will be under great pressure."

Mu Yang responded sincerely: "The purpose of our activities is not to compete, but to bring new vitality to public welfare. Taoist cultural public welfare services have their unique value, but this does not affect the dissemination of other public welfare concepts. We can learn from each other, work together, and integrate resources to make public welfare better. For example, we can jointly carry out some large-scale public welfare activities, give full play to our respective strengths, and provide help to more people. We can work together to plan a large-scale event to care for vulnerable groups. You have rich organizational experience, and we are unique in incorporating Taoist cultural elements. By cooperating with each other, we will definitely be able to make the event even better."

After sincere communication, the two charitable organizations reached a cooperation agreement to work together for public welfare. Over time, the value of Taoist culture in public welfare volunteer service has gradually become apparent. More and more people are learning about the public welfare concepts embedded in Taoist culture, and more are inspired to join the ranks of public welfare volunteers.

"I feel extremely gratified to see that public welfare services have become more effective due to the integration of Taoist culture. I have high hopes for Taoist culture to continue to play a role in the public welfare field. In the future, we must continue to explore more ways of integration to allow Taoist culture to shine more brilliantly in public welfare undertakings. We plan to carry out Taoist cultural public welfare activities in more communities in the coming year, expand the scope of services to [X] communities, and benefit more people. At the same time, we must continue to innovate the form of public welfare activities, combine modern technology and social hot spots, and make Taoist cultural public welfare services closer to the public and more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people." Mu Yang said with emotion at a public welfare organization exchange meeting.

In the days to come, Muyang will continue to promote the deep integration of Taoist culture and public welfare volunteer services, allowing religious culture and modern public welfare culture to promote each other, and contribute more to social harmony and the spread of love.