Today was remarkable—one of a kind. A day that made me stop and think deeply.
We brought 70 of our team to the Edutropism Conference. That’s one-third of the total participants.
From just a few passionate individuals in the early days, the movement has now grown to over 200 educators from all over the country. Among them were powerful voices, including Nurul Izzah, daughter of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
She’s not just a political figure. She has substance.
She started her political journey at 18 when her father was imprisoned. She later stepped down from her official role—not for personal gain, but to maintain political stability.
And one detail stood out to me:
She doesn’t have a personal assistant. She replies to messages herself.
That tells me everything about who she really is.
Why I Support Edutropism
There’s a reason I stand behind this movement.
Not just because it’s an education conference. Not just because there were big names.
But because it aligns with everything I believe about education.
And the real power of this conference wasn’t in the speakers, but in those who were quietly shaping it from behind the scenes.
The founding Pillars—Aunty PiekSee, Uncle Touboon etc—weren’t even on stage.
They were just sitting there, quietly watching.
And yet, their legacy was everywhere.
This is the very essence of discipleship in making.
Starting this year, none of them appeared on stage. No taking over. No power struggles. Just pure empowerment.
Meanwhile, I did the opposite.
I took the bold step of stepping into the spotlight—leading a workshop on edupreneurship, setting the stage for my team to know that even ordinary people like us can shine.
And I watched as Samuel delivered a fantastic talk using the Tree View, Ant View, Eagle View, and Lion View to explain how every role is essential in education.
But beyond this, we weren’t just speaking.
We were laying the foundation—a platform for our team to continue speaking, long after we are gone.
The 5th Industrial Revolution: No Time to Catch Up
One keynote speaker, Dr. Goh, said something that struck me:
“While we are still trying to figure out the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we are already in the Fifth.”
Between the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions, there is no gap.
We don’t have time to catch up anymore.
AI and YouTube are already outperforming universities in providing knowledge.
“You could literally learn everything from YouTube.”
So if education is only about stuffing knowledge into students, we have already failed.
Another speaker, Prof. Mustak, gave an analogy I won’t forget.
- Education used to be like a cup—you fill it with knowledge.
- Now, it must be like a compass—guiding students in a world where AI already knows more than any teacher.
This generation is more connected than ever.
And yet, it is the loneliest generation in history—and they don’t even realize it.
How do we prepare them?
Strategic communication, digital agility, resilience, and wellness.
These are the skills they need to survive the world ahead.
Failure is Just Unfinished Success
At the conference, I heard the story of Rodin, an artist who was described as “the worst student in school” and rejected three times by art school.
His uncle even called him “uneducable.”
And yet, he became one of the greatest sculptors in history.
So I asked myself: Are we labeling students too early?
Because I, too, was once labeled as a dropout.
I nearly lost hope.
But a few people refused to give up on me—my mom, my sister, my family.
My dad gave up out of love—he didn’t want to force me into something I wasn’t meant to be.
But my mom believed in something I wasn’t yet—and she forced me forward, sacrificing everything.
- Culture, leadership, and success do not happen by accident.
- Good things in life are forced.
- Leadership is an uphill battle—always.
That is why I fully support the organizers of this movement.
“Whatever resources I have are yours. Use them for the betterment of this nation. Education is our battlefield, and I will fight alongside you.”
The Gen Z Crisis: Hacked Dopamine and Fake Fulfillment
One workshop I didn’t get to attend—but heard great things about—was Dr. Victor Goh’s session on engaging with Gen Z.
Gen Z is a generation of loneliness.
Not because they choose to be—but because they have learned to replace real human connection with artificial dopamine hits.
Instead of working out to feel good, they short-circuit the process with alcohol, gaming, and social media addiction.
They aren’t lazy.
They aren’t broken.
They are just looking for fulfillment in all the wrong places.
And if education doesn’t step in to provide them with real meaning, something else will.
How to Be Anti-Fragile
We will look at Abraham Wald’s WWII aircraft study, which is a classic example of survivorship bias—and it ties perfectly into antifragility.
Story: The Invisible Holes in the Planes
During World War II, Allied bombers returned from missions riddled with bullet holes. Engineers and military strategists studied the damaged planes and saw that the wings, fuselage, and tail were full of bullet impacts. Naturally, they thought: “We should reinforce these areas!”
But Abraham Wald, a statistician working with the military, saw the problem differently.
He realized that they were only analyzing the planes that survived. The ones that didn’t return likely had critical damage in other areas—like the engines or cockpit. These were the true weak points, but they weren’t visible in the surviving planes.
Antifragility Connection:
- Avoiding Survivorship Bias:
- The military initially wanted to reinforce what they could see, but Wald recognized the real vulnerabilities lay in what they couldn’t see—the planes that never made it back.
- This teaches us that systems don’t improve by looking only at survivors, but by studying failures.
- Learning from Failure Strengthens the System: Instead of reinforcing bullet-ridden wings, they armored the engines and cockpit.
- This change made bombers far more resilient, reducing casualties and mission failures.
- Just like antifragile systems, the military aircraft fleet improved by studying losses, not just successes.
- The Counterintuitive Lesson of Antifragility:
- If they had reinforced the wings instead, more planes would have continued to be lost—the system would have remained fragile.
- By embracing failures (downed planes) as learning opportunities, they made the entire fleet stronger—the essence of antifragility.
Moral of the Story:
We often focus on visible successes, but true growth comes from studying what fails. Whether in business, technology, or life, ignoring silent failures makes us fragile—learning from them makes us antifragile.
We must analyze failure as much as we analyze success.
If you drop an egg, it shatters.
But if you wrap it in cotton, it survives.
- The key isn’t to remove stress—it’s to build protection.
So how do we make our students—and ourselves—anti-fragile?
- Discover Your Purpose
- Do Hard Things & Expect Failure
- Diversify Your Partnerships
- Enhance Storytelling Skills
- Practice Gratitude
- Stay Curious & Learn Beyond Your Field
Success isn’t about avoiding failure—it’s about learning how to get back up every time.
Final Reflection: A Legacy Beyond Our Lifetime
At the end of the day, the most valuable part of this conference wasn’t just the lessons—it was the connections, the conversations, and the chance to bring Stellar into a bigger network of educators who share the same heart.
At Stellar, we have done our part.
- We don’t chase after people.
- We build something so powerful that the right people will be drawn to it.
And this is the kind of experience that no other institution can provide—a culture where we truly care for our team, our students, and our future.
And that is why we will win.
One last thought:
How do we spend our short life on Earth in a way that impacts the next 1,000 years?
The answer is succession.
- Because the real test of leadership isn’t what happens while we’re here.
- It’s what happens after we’re gone.
Now, I am extremely tired. It’s been a long day. And tomorrow, I drive back straight after the conference.
Good night.
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