Is the richness of life the richness of choices?

There is no universal definition for the richness of life.
That is likely because the yardstick for a rich life changes depending on a person's values.

And a person's values are greatly influenced by their historical background.
For example, in wartime Japan, "not having conflict" might have been considered a rich life, while around the 1990s, when relaxed education was implemented, "being able to live proactively" might have been considered a rich life.

When talking about the richness of life, "precisely because it is this kind of era" is a useful introductory phrase.

So, what about the Reiwa era?

I lived through about half of the Heisei era, and now I am spending my time in Reiwa.
Thinking back, when I was in junior high school, I envisioned a rich life not as becoming someone, but as being able to become anyone.
"I won't become just anyone." That is what I thought.

It wasn't that I saw infinite potential in my young self, but rather that I believed the era, society, people, and values would absolutely change, and I was afraid of being swept away alone, unable to ride the waves of that change.

The Heisei era was truly in the midst of transitioning from the "goodness of stability" to the "goodness of diversity."
And with the implementation of the new era name that replaced "Heisei," diversity became widely permeated.
The speed was a little faster than I had imagined when I was in junior high school.
The era is already "the Reiwa of diversity".


What lies beyond the rapid changes and diversification is a society overflowing with choices.

- What should I eat for lunch?
- Where should I go on the weekend?
- What kind of job should I get?
- What kind of life should I lead?

We encounter such opportunities for choice many times in our daily lives, and for each one, the number of options available should be greater than before.

Choices increase as new values are recognized.
In other words, Reiwa is an era where many new values have been recognized.

In that sense, Reiwa can be called a free era, and also an era where the scope of freedom has expanded.

At first glance, it seems as if it has become a rich era for many people.

However, in reality,

is what I think.

In short, unfortunately, freedom does not necessarily equal richness.
Even if the number of choices increases, it does not directly lead to a rich life.

Certainly, I think having many choices is a happy thing.
It feels like living in a wide world, and it is comfortable.

However, unless you choose something, there is no richness or anything else.
No matter how many choices are in front of you, in the end, life is the accumulation of the results of your choices.

Even if there are many choices for lunch, such as a convenience store bento, a Chinese restaurant, a bakery, an udon shop, a curry shop, a salad shop, etc., your stomach will not be filled, and there is a possibility that the shop you chose is not very delicious.
Your mood is also always different.

Of course, in this case, life is about being able to choose a safe option like a convenience store bento, choose your favorite Chinese restaurant, or choose to eat nothing for the sake of a diet.

The most important thing is,

that is what it means.

We must make rich choices to make our lives rich.
Among the many choices, we must think and select the one that is right.


That is why I teach mathematics in the Reiwa era.
Now that there are countless choices, I believe it is necessary to rebuild mathematics education for the formation of a rich life.

Mathematics is learning and mastering formulas and theorems, and when solving problems, selecting the optimal one from several solution processes to construct logic after all.
At least, mathematics up until my student days was like that.

By learning with an emphasis on thinking, you will be able to cultivate the power to choose above all else.
Or perhaps it is a subject that is like a small life, where it is easy to check the answers after you have made your choice.

It is always those individual choices that create a rich life.

This is a line from Misuzu Kaneko's poem "Are You and I and the Little Bird," which follows the words, "The bell, the little bird, and then me,"


Since every species can exist because other species exist, acknowledge others and never hurt them it contains that kind of meaning, but it is the same within each species.

It is fine for everyone to think and for everyone to choose different options.

In fact, that is very strongly reflected in mathematics.
Mathematics remains as free as ever, and it is a subject where values and richness appear in the solution methods.

That is exactly what makes it worth teaching and worth learning for me.
I am also being taught by my students.

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I do not think that the richness of life is the richness of choices.

This is because life is a series of choices every single day, and you can only move forward beyond those choices.
Because without choosing, life is not created.

Therefore, I believe that a rich life continues beyond rich choices.

And I teach mathematics that makes you think for a rich life every day.
I teach with the belief that learning mathematics enriches life.


I hope that everyone who has read this will recognize the value of mathematics that is useful in life.
Also, I sincerely hope that your lives will be rich.

Thank you for reading until the end.

I will continue to write with all my heart.
I would be happy if you could follow me and wait for more.