Painful memories of the past are important to hold onto because they bring wisdom to the present. How does the information on pages 139-141 support this theme?

After experiencing neglect and true hunger in one memory, Jonas asks why they must have these memories, and The Giver answers that it gives them wisdom. For example, one year when the citizens petitioned for more births to increase the population of Laborers, The Giver used his memories to remember the starvation and warfare that resulted from overpopulation, although Jonas does not yet know war. Since the Committee of Elders did not want to know about the pain, he merely advised them against it, and they acquiesced.