semi-literate anon here asking a question about biology. I've been reading in the Dao De Jing lately, and it has a simile of the dao to water, in the sense that water passes through the living, maintaining it and supporting it but demanding nothing, taking nothing, being itself unchanged. I wonder is that true? I reckon if water is metabolized then it is not entirely true, though still a striking image. is the net intake-output of water in biological systems 1:1, or is it rather that some water is altered, but then is restored to water by some (atmospheric?) process, so that on a whole the amount of water on earth remains the same (which I assume it does)?
>water "takes" various things with urine etc
yea sure but I think you see what I mean. that's also a life-supporting function.