Actually, "earning a living" is an example of an idiom, and it is not meant to be interpreted literally. It just means aquiring the income necessary to pay for the basic expenses of modern life. You may also notice that people rarely find themselves inside of pickles or with butterflies in their stomachs, but before you get angry that someone is suggesting you should break your leg, remember that figurative speech is fairly common.
Yeah! Dumb babies expecting a handout! Fuck em, they need to earn their keep, let's leave them on a mountain and see if they come back with ore to sell for breast milk.