This TED Talk features human rights activist Leo Igwe, recorded live at TED Global 2017.

Something happened while I was studying in the seminary and training to be a priest.

I came in contact with a different idea of life.

An idea of life that contradicted the main

teachings of religion, humanism.

Some of you may be wondering what on earth is humanism.

Humanism is a way of thinking and living that emphasizes the agency of human beings. Humanism stresses the fact that we human beings are capable of changing the world,

that we have the power to make a difference in our lives,

both individually and collectively,

with our recourse to some outside force.

It may interest you to do that the best humanist lessons I learned

was not from reading philosophy books

or from pouring over humanist manifestos and declarations.

No, not at all.

The best humanist lesson I learned was from the life of my own parents.

My parents come from a poor family background in Mbisi in southeastern Nigeria.

They had limited opportunities.

But my parents did not allow the circumstances of their bad and upbringing

to determine the ambition and dreams for themselves and for the children.

My father worked part-time, trained as a teacher,

and rose to become a headmaster at a local primary school.

While my mother dropped out of school quite early

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