One of Lao Tzu’s famous sayings is “A journey
of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” The journey of the TAO of
living longer is a great undertaking: every step is as important as the first;
and each step is as firm as the previous one, given that the Chinese often like
to say “feet stepping on solid and steady ground.”
It must be
remembered that the TAO is about neither longevity nor immortality. Instead, it
is about the wisdom of living life to the fullest in the physical world, making
its final departure with grace and meaning at the appropriate time, whether it
is 30 years, 60 years, or even 100 years and beyond. Having said that, the TAO
may still enable you to embark on your
living-longer journey through the all-inclusive and self-awakening lens of the
TAO.
Your journey is the
sum of all your steps. Before you take your first step, ponder on this reality:
in life, all humans have two desires or pursuits—happiness and healthiness, which not only often come
with many delusions and illusions but also always are unattainable and
unsustainable. But the TAO may give you self-awakening and self-intuition to
help you along your journey.
The Step of Intent and Desire
It is your journey, and only you can take your first step. So, you must have the intent and desire to go on
that journey of living longer.
The lifespan of
humans is relative. In other words, your lifespan is related only to you alone—just as in nature some insects are born in the morning and
die by nightfall, while other insects are born in the spring and live until the
late summer.
Irrespective of
your own lifespan, you may still want to live longer. To
embark on your journey of living longer, you must,
first and foremost, show your intent
to live longer, especially if it is your steely resolve to reach the
destination of your journey.
So, what exactly is
your intent?
Intent is your
innate and yet inexplicable power that comes into play when you desire to move
forward on your journey of living longer. With your focused intent, it may
appear that everyone and everything around you are also playing a part in
facilitating all your endeavors in your favor. Intent is your inner drive.
In addition to your
intent to live longer, you must also demonstrate your desire for good health,
driving your intentions and aspirations to take your first step on your journey
of living longer.
But the desire for good health
may be difficult to sustain for someone who is currently very ill or has many
health issues; it may seem not only difficult but almost impossible for that
individual to restore natural health and get well again. Worse, ill health may
even make that individual forget to take care of the body, and thus allowing
the body's functions to deteriorate further.
The bottom line: take your
first step of intent with your desire for good health to change and overcome
any attitude of despair and confusion related to any ill health you may
currently be having. On this journey of living
longer, always keep yourself moving forward with your intent and desire backed
up with actual actions, and you will then go the distance on your journey.
THE TAO OF LIVING LONGER
THE TAO OF LIVING LONGER
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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