This is an old Daoist principle that a teacher told me several years ago. He explained why money doesn’t always buy happiness, and why many rich and famous people are troubled.
He explained how our soul and spirit works in a similar way to our digestive system, it is designed for things to flow through it, not just in. for example; If you constant eat and never excrete the waste, then you feel very sick, like to want to burst. Similarly if you over-eat more than you should you feel very sick, as you have over-filled your stomach.
Our spirit works in a similar way. Famous people are a good example, as they receive so much in the way of; money, admiration, attention and so on. but how many give an equal amount back? They are effectively receiving all this Qi but not letting any out, thus their spirit becomes full to the point they cannot take in anymore. their spiritual Qi becomes stagnant. Qi by nature wants to constantly move, otherwise it causes disharmonies.
However, if you receive things and also give, whether it be in the form of volunteering, donations, helping out friends and family etc. then your soul and spirit is being emptied and ready to receive fresh Qi. When someone constantly takes and takes from others, then this causes stagnation, which is why they never seem truly happy. they are stagnant spiritually.
This is largely comes from the Daoist principle of “going with the flow”. A healthy soul and spirit is one that lets Qi flow through, not just in.
Think of it as not being a spiritual glutton.
