The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity by Daniel Reidby Parker on TwosTo be stiff and hard is the way to death; to be soft and supple is the way to lifePeople everywhere are the same. When happy and healthy, they naturally treat each other with kindness and respect. When hungry and oppressed, they naturally become cruel and unrulyTrue sages rule the people by rearing them and feeding them but not laying claim to them, and by eliminating the sources of strife rather than punishing the consequencesIf we stop looking for persons of superior mortality to rule there will be no more jealousies among the people. If we cease to place value on products that are difficult to obtain there will be no more thievesClear the mind of all discursive thoughts, so that intuitive understanding of the Tao may arise spontaneously. A cluttered mind obscures Tao, whereas an empty mind reflects Tao like a mirrorThe sage ruler endeavors to keep his subjects minds as empty as possible of artificial ideas and desires, for these serve only to confuse people, create conflicts and distract attention from TaoContentment is a state of mind achieved by simply being content, not a process of material acquisitionA truly good physician first finds out the cause of the illness, and having found that, he first tried to cure it by food. Only when food fails does he prescribe medicationFood and sex, which are nature’s two strongest drones and the only two instincts any species requires for survival and propagation, are the two keys that unlock the gates to health and longevity. Conversely, when these two natural instincts are abused purely for pleasure, they pave the quickest way to the grave