The amount of education, in the most basic sense of the word, I

Hear, O children of the digital age, the words of Tony Bates, who marveled at the gift of learning made possible through the tools of his time: “The amount of education, in the most basic sense of the word, I receive on a daily basis through Skype amazes me. The technology is one of the reasons I wanted to join Skype and am eager to get Skype into every classroom around the globe.” In this declaration, we glimpse not merely the wonder of a man at new invention, but the eternal longing of humanity: to break the chains of distance and spread the flame of education to every corner of the earth.

The ancients treasured the spoken word, for in it knowledge passed from elder to youth, from teacher to student. Scrolls and manuscripts were few, but voices carried wisdom across generations. Now, in this modern age, the voices of many can travel across oceans in an instant. Technology, once seen as a tool of war or commerce, has become also a bridge of minds, uniting hearts and intellects across boundaries once thought impassable. Thus, Bates beholds in Skype not merely an instrument of conversation, but a vessel of knowledge, an ark carrying learning to the nations.

Think of the days when scholars of old journeyed far to sit at the feet of masters. Students crossed deserts to learn in the schools of Alexandria, or endured perilous seas to study at the universities of Bologna and Oxford. Knowledge demanded sacrifice, for the teacher’s voice was bound to place and time. Yet in our day, a child in a humble village may hear the same lesson as a child in a great city, for the voice of the teacher now travels through light itself. What once required years of pilgrimage can now be shared in a moment.

Consider the story of Abraham Lincoln, who by candlelight read borrowed books in a cabin, hungry for knowledge though resources were scarce. How he would have marveled at a world where wisdom could be summoned with a call, where one could speak to a mentor far away and receive guidance instantly! His perseverance in darkness reminds us of the value of learning, but technology reminds us that no child today need be left in the shadows of ignorance, if we but wield these tools with purpose.

Bates’s desire to bring Skype into every classroom is not simply a dream of machines, but of equality. For education has too long been chained by wealth, by geography, by fortune of birth. If the digital voice can reach every ear, then no barrier remains save our own will. Just as the printing press once shattered the walls of ignorance and spread knowledge to the many, so too does this new medium promise to do the same, if humanity has the courage to use it wisely.

The teaching here is radiant: embrace technology not as a master, but as a servant of wisdom. Do not use it to scatter the mind with vanity, but to deepen the heart with learning. Let it carry truth, compassion, and knowledge where human feet cannot travel. Just as fire can destroy or warm, so too can technology distract or enlighten; the choice lies in how we wield it.

Therefore, beloved listener, take up this practice: seek daily to learn something new, to use the tools at hand not for idleness but for growth. Encourage the young to see in the screen not only games and images, but gateways to wisdom. Support efforts that carry education across borders, for in doing so, you partake in a mission older than empires: the raising of minds, the uplifting of souls.

Thus, let the words of Tony Bates be a call to action for our age: to marvel at the education we receive daily, to honor the gift of technology, and to dedicate ourselves to ensuring that every child, in every land, may hear the voice of the teacher. For in this, we honor both the past and the future, and we carry forward the eternal torch of knowledge into the uncharted dawn.