Education, to me, is the story of human evolution itself. Once upon a time, people learned by watching their parents, repeating the same work, the same rhythm of life. You were born into a path, and that path was fixed. Education back then was a rare key — one held only by the privileged few.
In Japan, for centuries, learning belonged to the samurai and the nobility. But after the Meiji Restoration, the new government realized something crucial: a nation could not change unless its people learned. Education spread rapidly — and that was the first revolution that broke through the old class walls.
But as education opened to all, its meaning began to change. Going to university was no longer special. A degree became like a gold coin that had been circulated too widely — still valuable, but no longer rare. Knowledge multiplied, yet somehow, individuality started to fade from the glow.
Then came the 21st century — and the internet changed everything. Once, you had to knock on the gate of learning. Now, the gate has vanished. The iPhone sealed that transformation: from anywhere, from your couch, you can access lectures from Harvard, wisdom from centuries, and every answer you could imagine.
But in this flood of knowledge, what is the role of schools — of teachers? If passing down information is all we do, humans are no longer needed. That’s why teachers must evolve. No longer givers of knowledge, but guides of thought. They must become lighthouses in the ocean of endless data.
And now, we face something new — something that feels almost alive: AI. Tools like ChatGPT are learning, adapting, generating answers faster than any human mind could. Every time I use it, I realize: it has already surpassed us in the realm of knowledge. AI doesn’t sleep. It doesn’t tire. It simply keeps evolving, as long as electricity flows.
So we must ask: what can AI not do? No matter how far technology advances, one thing remains uniquely human — connection. The meeting of hearts, the exchange of ideas, the spark that happens between people. That is the essence of education. AI can teach knowledge, but it cannot move the soul.
I’m a professional personal trainer by trade. On paper, my job is to teach movement — but in truth, it’s more about guiding people. There’s something beyond numbers and theory when a person transforms. It’s in the sweat, the breath, the subtle tremor of the heart. That is where real learning happens. No AI, no matter how advanced, can replicate that moment.
And I often think of the strategist Sun Tzu, who said, “Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.” We don’t need to fight AI head-on. Wisdom lies in choosing the battlefield — in moving to the ground where AI’s supreme advantage no longer applies. Don’t fight where it’s strongest; fight where it cannot even reach. You may not win, but you won’t lose either. The goal is not to conquer, but to remain undefeated.
We don’t need to compete with AI. We just need to understand what it means to be human. To shine in the realms where no machine can reach — emotion, intuition, empathy. That is where our future lies. Education isn’t about filling the mind; it’s about nurturing the person. And I want to believe in that meaning again.
So in the end, I believe the heart of education isn’t in the future of technology — it’s in the person standing right before you. Learning and teaching are both forms of meeting. Growth happens only there, in that shared space. In this age of AI, we must remember what it truly means to be human.
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