Laya at Kapwa: Seeing the connectedness of our freedoms
Ano ang kaugnayan ng ating iba't ibang kalayaan, at ng mga kalayaan ng ating kapwa?
Hello, mga ka-Ugnayan!
As we end the month of June, we share more about our featured theme for this month: Laya or Freedom, represented by the image of a bird. In this newsletter, join us as we reflect on these:
What are the different meanings we associate with "laya" and "kalayaan"?
In what ways do freedoms in one area connect with others?
In what ways do our own freedoms relate with that of our kapwa?
Laya
(Tagalog) Ang kalagayan ng pagiging walang hadlang o balakid; katutubòng kapangyarihan ng bawat nilikha upang itakda at gawin ang nais
(English) The condition of being free from obstruction and hindrance; innate power of every creature to determine and do what it wills
Ka•laya•an (noun) freedom; independence; liberty
Ma•laya (adjective) free
Mapagpa•laya (adjective) liberating
To share a story of freedom is also to share what it means to not be fully free.
Philippine eagles thrive in vast forests. Each pair needs about 7000 hectares of forest land to live well in the wild, depending on the number of prey in the area, and typically nest on large dipterocarp trees that grow up to heights of 40-70 meters, like the native species Lauan. However, their existence is threatened primarily by deforestation through commercial logging and agriculture.1
When I think of the freedoms and capabilities of Philippine eagles — to fly, to mate, to build nests, and to hunt prey for themselves and their brood — I remember conversations on the different ways we define “Laya” in our lives as humans too.
Lawak at Laya
At our Ugnayan Tambayan, our conversation revolved around asking each other: In this time of your life, what does it mean for you to be “free”?
We had a range of responses that widened our definition of freedom:
To express one’s authentic self
by journaling or other forms of art
by representing our authentic selves with how we dress
by letting others love us for who we really are
To connect with and be re-energized by nature
by going on out-of-town trips or hikes
by doing tree walks even in the city
To move freely within the city
by being able to access functional public transportation
To choose one’s work or profession
by being unboxed by expectations (real and perceived)
At its core, the essence of “laya” is about being who we are without society’s impositions — being free to be our authentic selves, while also recognizing we belong in a community and have a responsibility to also uphold the dignity and freedom of others.
I see our individual longings as longings for collective liberation too — breaking free from the impositions of those who use their power to quash diversity in views and life expressions that actually enrich our society.
Without inner change, there can be no outer change.
Without collective change, no change matters.
Rev. angel Kyodo williams
Pagpapalaya ng Sarili at Kapwa
The most moving conversations I’ve had in relation to freedom this month though were those I had with political prisoners at the Correctional Institute for Women, when I joined the Good Food Community team visit.
We go there to visit political prisoners, most of whom are farmers if not peasant organizers, who fought for their rights to the land on which their lives depended.
They were incarcerated due to trumped up charges — illegal possession of firearms and explosives, murder — all because they believed that fighting for the liberties of their community was greater than their own individual liberties.
Ang kalayaan, di binibigay. Ipinaglalaban.
In this visit, we got to use @ugnayancards to connect with the Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) and our fellow visitors. I hoped to play the cards with them after our first visit, but I also didn’t want to impose anything. I’m glad Mabi and Gen of Good Food encouraged it.
We split up the group into smaller groups of 4 or 5, mixing PDLs with visitors, gave some loose instructions….and hoped that the space would feel safe and brave enough for everyone to share as they wanted or needed.
I felt the connection, and saw the emotional release from some of the women — and it moved us. It reminded me of the importance of showing up for others.
But also that we showed up for them because they’ve inspired us with how THEY showed up and for the rights, wellbeing and liberation of others.
Fellow Good Food friend Gen told me that one of the PDLs, Nanay Cleofe shared in their group:
Hindi na ako takot sa kamatayan kasi alam kong pinaglaban ko hindi lang ang karapatan ko pero pati karapatan ng maraming magsasaka.
(I’m no longer afraid of death because I know that I fought not only for my own rights, but for the rights of many farmers.) 🥺
In the same way that Philippine eagles’ homes and sources of food are being taken from them, so is the plight on many of our farmers, fighting for their right to their land.
You can learn more about how you can support them through @goodfoodcommunity and foodtodayfoodtomorrow.carrd.co.
Ugnayan Tungo sa Kalayaan
We desire to move more freely, to love more freely, to make a living more freely, and to nourish ourselves and our loved ones more freely.
We long to be freer of the hindrances, both real and perceived, that get in the way of us living our most authentically expressed lives, and seeing our fellow beings flourish as well.
With each Ugnayan conversation, we hope we collectively continue to move even 1% closer to our collective liberation when we expand our perspectives and possibilities — in community with others who inspire us to imagine and fight for a different kind of world alongside them.
We all have our ways to move closer towards our collective liberation, and as I end this letter to you, I leave you with these questions:
Anong mga kalayaan ang pinaglalaban mo / nais mong ipaglaban?
What freedoms are you fighting for / would you like to fight for?Anong kaisipan mo ang nagiging balakid sa ating pagpapalaya?
What mindset of yours gets in the way of our collective liberation?
Sinu-sino ang makakakinabang sa paglaban mo para sa nais mong kalayaan?
Who else stands to benefit from the freedoms you want to fight for?
Para sa malayang sarili at kapwa,
Jen Horn | @pagbubuo
Tagapagpadaloy, Ugnayan Cards
If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.
- Aboriginal activist groups in Queensland, Australia in the 70’s
Information gathered from various sources: Celine Murillo and Wikipedia (Philippine Eagle & Dipterocarpaceae)