44. Your Vitality or Your Possessions?
Your health or your reputation,
Which do you invest in?
Your vitality or your possessions,
Which is dearer?
Gain or loss, which is more detrimental?
That which you fear to lose
will cost you dearly in the end.
Saving up great stores prepares you for heavy loss.
Be content and you will never be disappointed.
If you know when to stop,
You won’t find yourself in trouble.
Then, you can experience peace.
-From The Alchemist’s Tao Te Ching, by Andrew McCart
50. Keep Your Life in Order
Be prepared for anything to happen.
The master follows the saying:
“Live each day like it will be the last, For one day you will be right.”
When you accept that you will die, You can truly begin to live.
Settle your affairs at the end of each day.
Tie up your loose ends before bed each night. Keep your life in order
So you do not leave a mess behind.
The sage is ready for death,
As if he is ready for retiring to bed. He looks back on his life
Like a good day of work.