Long ago I’ve been searching for a word that captures the complete meaning of the Filipino word Kapwa in English. People translate it as fellow, kindred, and equal being. I kind of felt these were lacking. I was looking for a word that says something nearer to the “fellow” being “yourself”. In other words, you have the shared existence, this phrase I got while studying Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino Psychology). I have not really learned the neighbor countries’ languages, but I have a feeling they have something like kapwa as well. A one-word expression of sharing one’s existence with another, them being part of a single entity. Like in saying I LOVE YOU in Filipino, it’s MAHAL KITA. I picked that up from Psychology classes as well. Look at the words. In English, I and YOU are separate. Translated in Filipino, I and YOU are in one same word — KITA.
Pretty cool huh?
But then again, when I heard the Gospel this evening, I thought, was that idea of shared existence really non-existent to the more Western cultures? Didn’t Jesus Christ tell us about loving our neighbors as ourselves? If you are to ask me, even if the West doesn’t really have that one single word in English (and if I’m right, neither in French, Spanish, or Portuguese) for the idea of kapwa, at least they know Jesus Christ? I hope they do. I mean, even if you’re not Christian, the teachings of Christ promote peace and unity (for most part, if you are Christian, for all parts) plus they make a lot of sense. Now don’t bombard me with your anti-religion comments, I ain’t talking about that anymore. Well, we can talk about that some other time. 
ANYWAY, come to think of it, Jesus Christ lived in Israel, and Israel is still in West Asia. Not exactly America. Still WEST though. Why the distinction? Well, the kapwa concept is very collectivist, and Asians are very collectivist people, and I think that’s why that word exists in the Philippines. I have yet to find that one-word translation in a Western country language. I’m kind of almost concluding there’s none. But anyway, my point is, it’s hard to explain to a westerner the concept of kapwa because they don’t really have it in their culture. I’ve been told vignettes, anecdotes, and stuff about how westerners could reject the idea. I can’t explain to them why I feel so affected when they talk badly about Filipinos. They’d think you’re overreacting. (One professor of mine had a taste of that in person. I’ve experienced it but only in the cyberworld.)
So maybe, just maybe, that the West are familiar with the Christian faith, it isn’t that hard to explain anymore. I guess. The only problem is, not all of them believe. It’s sad (for me), but it’s okay. If you actually think of it in a more logical way, you could just take it as an explanation, you don’t have to believe it. But I dunno. If I explain to you that kapwa is like loving your neighbor as yourself and you don’t believe it’s true (the concept of kapwa), it’s like you’re not believing in chopsticks and sushi.
Sorry, I was writing down random thoughts because I might forget them. Maybe the “love your neighbor as yourself” is not the perfect explanation in English, but it’s the nearest explanation to shared existence. YOU = YOUR NEIGHBOR. Something like that. I know, there are big-time Psychologists who have explained this very thoroughly but I was just trying to find a common element. Something like “The Self in the Other” is kind of hard to digest to someone unfamiliar to the culture, right? Maybe I’ll work out a structure, maybe there’s a better way to explain it, but I guess I’ll leave it at that. For now. 
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This entry was posted on May 2, 2010 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Another Day, Passers-by Wisdom, Social Commentary . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed
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Kapwa in English?
Long ago I’ve been searching for a word that captures the complete meaning of the Filipino word Kapwa in English. People translate it as fellow, kindred, and equal being. I kind of felt these were lacking. I was looking for a word that says something nearer to the “fellow” being “yourself”. In other words, you have the shared existence, this phrase I got while studying Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino Psychology). I have not really learned the neighbor countries’ languages, but I have a feeling they have something like kapwa as well. A one-word expression of sharing one’s existence with another, them being part of a single entity. Like in saying I LOVE YOU in Filipino, it’s MAHAL KITA. I picked that up from Psychology classes as well. Look at the words. In English, I and YOU are separate. Translated in Filipino, I and YOU are in one same word — KITA.
Pretty cool huh?
But then again, when I heard the Gospel this evening, I thought, was that idea of shared existence really non-existent to the more Western cultures? Didn’t Jesus Christ tell us about loving our neighbors as ourselves? If you are to ask me, even if the West doesn’t really have that one single word in English (and if I’m right, neither in French, Spanish, or Portuguese) for the idea of kapwa, at least they know Jesus Christ? I hope they do. I mean, even if you’re not Christian, the teachings of Christ promote peace and unity (for most part, if you are Christian, for all parts) plus they make a lot of sense. Now don’t bombard me with your anti-religion comments, I ain’t talking about that anymore. Well, we can talk about that some other time.
ANYWAY, come to think of it, Jesus Christ lived in Israel, and Israel is still in West Asia. Not exactly America. Still WEST though. Why the distinction? Well, the kapwa concept is very collectivist, and Asians are very collectivist people, and I think that’s why that word exists in the Philippines. I have yet to find that one-word translation in a Western country language. I’m kind of almost concluding there’s none. But anyway, my point is, it’s hard to explain to a westerner the concept of kapwa because they don’t really have it in their culture. I’ve been told vignettes, anecdotes, and stuff about how westerners could reject the idea. I can’t explain to them why I feel so affected when they talk badly about Filipinos. They’d think you’re overreacting. (One professor of mine had a taste of that in person. I’ve experienced it but only in the cyberworld.)
So maybe, just maybe, that the West are familiar with the Christian faith, it isn’t that hard to explain anymore. I guess. The only problem is, not all of them believe. It’s sad (for me), but it’s okay. If you actually think of it in a more logical way, you could just take it as an explanation, you don’t have to believe it. But I dunno. If I explain to you that kapwa is like loving your neighbor as yourself and you don’t believe it’s true (the concept of kapwa), it’s like you’re not believing in chopsticks and sushi.
Sorry, I was writing down random thoughts because I might forget them. Maybe the “love your neighbor as yourself” is not the perfect explanation in English, but it’s the nearest explanation to shared existence. YOU = YOUR NEIGHBOR. Something like that. I know, there are big-time Psychologists who have explained this very thoroughly but I was just trying to find a common element. Something like “The Self in the Other” is kind of hard to digest to someone unfamiliar to the culture, right? Maybe I’ll work out a structure, maybe there’s a better way to explain it, but I guess I’ll leave it at that. For now.
Like this:
This entry was posted on May 2, 2010 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Another Day, Passers-by Wisdom, Social Commentary . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.