Once there was a lark singing in a forest. A farmer came by with a box full of worms. The lark stopped him and asked, "What do you have in the box, and where are you going?" The farmer replied that he had worms and that he was going to the market to trade them for some feathers. The lark said, "I have many feathers. I will pluck one and give it to you and that will save me looking for worms". The farmer gave the worms to the lark and the lark plucked a feather and gave it in return.
The next day the same thing happened and the day after and on and on until a day came that the lark had no more feathers. Now it could no longer fly to go hunting for worms. It started looking ugly and stopped singing and very soon it died.
Moral: The easier way may be the tougher way.
