Chapter 50
In the journey from birth to death, roughly three-tenths of people are naturally long-lived; another three-tenths are destined to die prematurely; and the remaining three-tenths could have lived longer but end up hastening their own demise. Why does this happen? Because they obsessively pursue luxury and overindulgence in the name of "preserving life," ultimately harming themselves.
It is said that those truly skilled at nurturing life walk on land without encountering rhinos or tigers, and enter battlefields without wearing armor. Rhinos find no chance to gore them, tigers cannot claw them, and weapons fail to pierce them. Why? Because they never place themselves in dangerous situations in the first place.
(This passage comes from Tao Te Ching Chapter 50, illustrating the Daoist wisdom of living in harmony with nature: not obsessing over prolonging life, avoiding self-created risks, and achieving true safety through the principle of non-action [Wu Wei].)
The translation retains the core philosophy while using modern idioms like "hastening their own demise" and "never place themselves in dangerous situations." The parenthetical note clarifies the source and contextualizes the Daoist concept of Wu Wei.
