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The statesman Justin Trudeau spoke with the voice of one who knows the lifeblood of nations when he declared: “I think people understand that if you’re going to have a successful economy, you need people’s potential to be realized. That means education. It means university education, sure, but it also means training, apprenticeships, and various kinds of skills diplomas that we know are necessary.” In this saying lies an eternal principle: the wealth of a land is not in its gold nor in its soil, but in the cultivated abilities of its people. For what good is a field without farmers, a ship without sailors, a forge without smiths?

The strength of a society comes from the flowering of its potential. Each human being carries within them a seed, yet a seed unguided lies dormant. It is through education, in all its forms, that these seeds awaken and bear fruit. Some grow tall in the halls of universities, nourished by books and inquiry. Others thrive in workshops and apprenticeships, their wisdom carved into wood, hammered into iron, woven into fabric. Still others learn through skills training, their craft giving shape to the economy’s hidden engines. To honor only one path is folly; to honor them all is wisdom.

The ancients knew this truth well. In the guilds of medieval Europe, the apprentice stood beside the master, learning not only the motions of the hand but the discipline of the heart. These young men and women became bakers, masons, carpenters, and weavers, each trade essential to the health of the city. The universities of the same age, rising in Paris and Bologna, trained scholars to argue, to calculate, to heal, and to govern. Both streams were vital: the scholar and the craftsman, the thinker and the builder. A society that honored only one would falter; a society that raised both could endure the centuries.

Consider the story of Japan after the Meiji Restoration. Determined to strengthen their nation, they sent students across the seas to learn science in universities, while at home they built schools for industry and trained their youth in the crafts of modern machinery. They understood that to unleash the nation’s potential, they must not rely on a single path of knowledge, but weave together both intellectual and practical skills. The result was transformation: within decades, Japan stood among the great powers, its economy thriving on the realized gifts of its people.

Thus the meaning of Trudeau’s words becomes clear: to build a successful economy, we must not waste the talents of any person. A mind fit for science must have its chance to study; a hand skilled at craft must have its chance to shape; a heart ready to lead must have its chance to guide. To deny opportunity, to neglect training and education, is to chain potential—and a nation that chains its people will never rise to its fullest strength.

The lesson for us is simple yet profound: honor all forms of learning. Do not scorn the trades while praising the scholars, nor elevate the degree while dismissing the diploma. Each path has its dignity, each fulfills a need. The engineer builds the bridge, but the welder makes it strong. The physician heals the body, but the nurse gives daily care. The professor may spark thought, but the craftsman brings it into form. Together, they form the body of the nation.

So in your own life, do not measure worth by title alone. Seek education in whatever form feeds your calling. If you are drawn to books, read deeply; if to craft, practice faithfully; if to service, train diligently. Encourage others to do the same, and respect their chosen paths. For in the honoring of every person’s potential, we create not only stronger individuals, but a stronger people.

Therefore let it be remembered: the economy is but the reflection of human growth. Where the people learn, the nation thrives. Where the people are neglected, the nation decays. So tend the seed within yourself, and tend the seeds within others. For when all are cultivated, the harvest shall be abundance, and the future shall shine.