Ka-Puwang: Expanding Our Spaces for the Kapwa

I have been back teaching Theology onsite since August 2022. Apart from the adjustments which I need to do to shift from online to physical classes, my perspectives, and experiences, particularly on something to do with compassion, have greatly changed because of what I have been learning in GMF. And this has a huge impact on how I will facilitate the teaching-learning process with my students. One of the many things I've learned from GMF is discovering, reclaiming, and celebrating the beautiful words we have in the languages of our country.

One of the words which I invited my students to use all the time is the word kapwa. According to Virgilio G. Enriquez in his book From Colonial to Liberation Psychology: The Philippine Experience, "Kapwa is the unity of the ‘self’ and ‘others’. The English ‘others’ is actually used in opposition to the ‘self’ and implies the recognition of the self as a separate identity. In contrast, kapwa is a recognition of shared identity, an inner self shared with others." Moreover, when we look closely at its syllables, ka and pwa, one will find such a very beautiful meaning. Ka is a Filipino prefix that means to be with, to be together. Pwa is from the Filipino word puwang which means space. Kapwa, in this light, means one we share space with.

During our first meeting as a class, I asked my students to introduce themselves by sharing who or what takes up space in their hearts and lives. Most of them mentioned their families, friends, pets, and loved ones. There were some who talked about their various advocacies. At the end of our introductions, I discussed with them the idea of kapwa and how our course has something to do with expanding our spaces to include more people and creation.

The course I teach explores the question of what it means to be a Christian (and human) and Church (or community) in today’s wounded and broken world. It is an invitation to draw nearer to our kapwa, particularly with the marginalized sectors of our country. One of Pope Francis’ catchphrases in his speeches and writings is drawing near. In Evangelii Gaudium, the pontiff exhorted the faithful to draw near to new forms of poverty and vulnerability and recognize the suffering Christ (EG 210) in them. What does drawing near concretely entail? The Filipino translations of the word CARE may shed some light on this.

First, care in Filipino is malasakit with sakit as its root word. Sakit in English is pain, suffering, or illness. In his 2020 diocesan World Youth Day message, Pope Francis urged the youth to, like Jesus, see pain and death, weep with those who are weeping and make their wounds our own. Moreover, I consider malasakit as the nearest translation for compassion.

Another Filipino translation for the word care is pakialam with alam as the root word. Alam in English is knowledge, awareness, or understanding. This is an invitation to expand our knowing in order to also expand our loving.

Lastly, kalinga is another Filipino word for care. It is also the word for refuge, sanctuary, or home. Home denotes right relationships. Home is a place of rest, kapahingahan. Considering its root word, hinga which means breath/breathe, we can ask if the relationships we have put in place in this world are life-giving or leaving us gasping for air, hingal, because they take the life out of us. In our course, we hope to understand the beginnings and developments of these relationships and what roles we play in them, assess their impacts on the lives of people, and discern how we can contribute to making present in the here and now the vision of kapahingahan which entails life-giving conditions.