“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Lao Tzu uses this metaphor of feeding someone for a day will only teach that person to be dependant. It is better to teach someone to be self-sufficient, so they can survive on their own. He was very wise and knew this extends past survival and into our daily lives as well. It is better to teach a child so they can complete their own homework than to do their homework for them.
If people rely too much on us, and we are not there to help them one day, their very future is at risk. It is better to teach them how to fish.