The people's hunger is due to their rulers taking excessive taxes as food, hence the hunger. The reason why the people suffer from hunger and cold is that their rulers take too much food as taxes from below; the people all become greedy by imitating their superiors, rebel against the Way, and violate virtue, hence they endure hunger. The difficulty in governing the people arises from the rulers' active interventions; therefore, it is difficult to govern them. The reason why the people cannot be governed well is that their superiors have many desires and favor active interventions. Therefore, the people imitate their rulers' active interventions, become artificial in sentiment, and thus are difficult to govern. The people's disregard for death arises from their rulers' excessive pursuit of life. The reason why the people dare to violate and risk death is that they pursue ways to sustain life too intensely, becoming greedy for profit and endangering themselves. Therefore, they lightly regard death. Because of their excessive pursuit of life, they recklessly enter dangerous situations. He who acts without seeking to sustain his own life is more virtuous than one who highly values life. Only those who do not regard sustaining life as their main concern have no desire for titles or emoluments, and wealth and profit do not enter their lives; even the Son of Heaven cannot make them his subjects, nor can feudal lords command them—thus they are more virtuous than those who highly value life. ---