Albay Governor Edcel Grex Lagman stressed the importance of organized religion and spirituality.
Lagman shared that he recently held a meeting with some Albayano youth who want to experience the “beauty of spirituality.”
“ Surely, millennials should never be pigeonholed. There are still many of them who aspire for a more meaningful way to live their lives. There’s still hope after all,” he said.
Lagman also shared how he was raised as a catholic, having studied in a school run by Benedictine monks.
“I respect all organized religions. I was raised as a good Catholic schoolboy by Benedictines from pre-school to high school. But when i studied in UP for college and for my masters, i realized that the best way to live one’s life is as a HUMANIST,” said Lagman.
“Of course i am still a practicing Catholic. But i am not very religious although it’s funny how i can still recite all the important prayers by heart,” he added.
“Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life. It is not tied up with outdated religious ceremonials and it affirms the ability and capacity of all human beings to lead responsible and ethical lives. One where one’s aspiration for the greater good for the greater number is directly proportional to one’s personal fulfillment and happiness,” he continued.
This upcoming Holy Week, the governor reminded that our actions should be more in tune with humanity.
“It fosters lesser hypocrisy, it does away with the rigidity of religious traditions and it underscores how the pursuit of ethical ideals can actually transcend, by and large, the built-in limitations of unbending religious thought,” he said.