the funny thing about the alternative is that, no one ever has to learn how to starve, but starvation is one of the best teachers.
when i was a child, my father found me feeding squirrels in the back yard. he told me, "if you feed the squirrels, they'll have more babies, then, if we move away, no one will feed them and they will starve. it will be because you fed them that their babies starved."
Sometimes teaching the hard way is the best way in the long run. It is no coincidence that those who have been through tough times are the strongest.
wisdom of the ages.
That's pretty dark, but true if you feed them too much. It's the same reason we take down the bird feeder in late autumn, otherwise the birds will stay and freeze instead of flying south.
Updated proverb: "Give a squirrel some bread, and you kill its babies. Teach a squirrel to make bread, and you feed its babies for life"?
my dad grew up during the depression. it was pretty dark. they had to eat squirrels. maybe i can revamp the story for my kids.