Tell me, what is the Dao? I devoted myself to seeking it, cultivated bitterly for years, slew evil demons, banished ghosts and wicked spirits, and saved people for more than a decade. In the end, I fell into the ghostly path. I struggled in the River of Forgetfulness for two thousand years, cleansing myself of my sins before I could be reborn as a human. Why was there never anyone to save me?
(Heaven and earth endure forever. They can endure because they do not live for themselves, and so they live long.
Thus the sage puts himself last, yet comes first; he sets himself aside, yet remains. Is this not because he is free of self-interest? And so he fulfills his own interests.)
From the Tao Te Ching
*This story is written on a whim and updated whenever inspiration strikes.
Theme: Hold fast to your original intentions, and you can reach a good end.
