Diwa ng Pagbubuo: 8 ideas on the essence of Pagbubuo
Revisiting what this space means to me, and what I hope it can continue to become.
Hi, friends.
It’s been a little over three years now since I first started writing here on Substack.
And recently, I decided to write a long Instagram post containing the philosophies or Pagbubuo-isms that have emerged as a result of me continuing to show up for this personal work of “pagbubuo ng malikhain at maginhawang buhay”1 through my writing here.
I wanted to simply share the contents of that Instagram post here, but of course, as a maraming sinasabi, marami pa akong pwedeng masabi na hindi magkakasya sa Instagram. 😊
Pagbubuo seems to have adopted different forms and housed varied reflections since I started — from being a personal, reflective writing exploration…to a space to share my work and nerdery as a coach, facilitator, culture-builder…to several posts grappling with my “quarterly life crisis” (because it really didn’t stop at a quarter life crisis).
And I’m leaning into that as the “reason for being” for Pagbubuo. And it’s okay that it’s not a place for totally planned out and curated content. Emergence is the essence of Pagbubuo.
This is the place where I made sense of all my experiences — the serious, the playful, the magical and the mundane.
Balik-tanaw sa pagbubuo ng Pagbubuo
I took a little trip down memory lane and unearthed some of the very first posts on this Substack, which sprouted from a writing circle I had initiated around the prompt of “buo”.
The writing circle was short lived, but it was an important time in my life to engage with it, and I hope for some of those who had chosen to join it too. Here’s where it began.
It was an Instagram story, and I wasn’t expecting much. I was just running a non-scientific experiment to see what people might say or where people might take it. And so, I was amazed by the richness of the responses. Some also responded so thoughtfully in their chat messages to me with their further reflections to the provocation too.
So many questions in that original post, triggered by just that one word “buo”:
Does completeness or wholeness require excellence or even perfection, or just “enough-ness”? And if it’s just “enough”, is that glass half-full or glass half-empty scenario to you?
If we can see its separate parts or components, does it make it any less whole?
Might we acknowledge that we as humans and our ecosystems are whole and composed of many different parts?
If one part is broken, is it no longer possible to consider something whole again after repair? Is all forever broken, or just temporarily un-whole? (see original post for context from more IG story screenshots)
Synchronicitous to see myself using the word “enough-ness” as I grappled with that in my previous post on “Audacious Enough-ness” a.k.a. Kapal ng Mukha. Lol.
Pag meron tayong “kapal ng mukha”, buo ang loob nating ipakita ang ating tunay na sarili at hangarin sa iba — dahil naniniwala tayo na buo tayo sa halip ng mga punit, tuklap at biak ng ating katawan, kaluluwa at katauhan.
When I go back to what “buo” means to me, I find this bit of writing from that same time three years ago:
For me, the word buo means a sense of “enough-ness” (not perfection), of gratitude and contentment (not achievement), of integration (rather than having everything), of wholeness — of worthiness (or “the quality of being good enough”) that recognizes the different fragments that makes up the whole and meaningfully pieces them together.
May layunin tayo tungo sa kabuuan, sa pamamagitan ng tuluyang paghanap ng kaligayahan, kabutihan at ng pag-unawa sa katotohanan sa mas malawak at malalim na konteksto.
Ang Diwa ng Pagbubuo
It’s amusing read those old posts now, as I’m in this era of purposeful discomfort, of not being as afraid to make a mess and be a mess. To celebrate the parts that I love, and accept the parts that I’m ashamed of.
For now, allow me to share my Pagbubuo-isms here too. These are eight mindsets and heartsets that shape my views and my work here on Pagbubuo, and what I try, fumble with, falter, and try again to practice in life.
I’d love to know which one/s resonate most with you at this point in your year / life? Please take what is useful to you.
#1 Ako’y buo habang nagbubuo.
The living portfolio of my life is whole while continuing to evolve with me.
I am in a constant state of pagbubuo. I take all my experiences as compost for my creative soil.
What projects and past lives would you add to a living portfolio of your life?
#2 Nabubuo tayo sa pagkilala ng ating kalahatan.
The mess, the mayhem, the magic and the mundane -- all that is me.
We don’t need to love all of ourselves, but we can acknowledge all our parts. When we let go of binaries and either-or’s, we can appreciate our complexity and humanity, and extend ourselves more forgiveness.
What pieces of you are asking to be accepted?
#3 Magkakapit-bisig ang pagbuo at pagwasak.
Our greatest growth can stem from un-becoming and re-learning.
When we challenge perceptions we have of ourselves, others and the world; others’ perceptions; and perceptions we have of others’ perceptions, we create space for authenticity and change to emerge.
Anong pagwasak ang kailangang mangyari para maging mas buo?
#4 Nabubuo ang sarili sa pakikipag-ugnayan sa kapwa.
The self-made person is a myth.
Our lives involve shaping and being shaped by the context of our past, present and future, in relation with our kapwa -- both human and more-than-human alike.
In what ways are you shaping and being shaped by the people that surround you?
#5 Ang pagbubuo ng buhay ay isang gawa ng paglikha.
We imagine, create, and shape our lives by our own design.
While our lives are subject to unearned privileges and disadvantages, (if you’re reading this) you may have more agency to choose your responses in your current circumstances than you might believe.
What values or principles guide you in designing your life?
#6 Sa paglikha lumilinaw ang ating minimithi.
Creative expression allows our deepest desires for ourselves and those around us to emerge.
This can take shape through the act of creating itself, or in the pause that we allow our minds so that we can fully inhabit our bodies and listen to what it tells us.
What’s a thread that runs through the living portfolio of your life?
#7 Bahagi ng pagbubuo ang pagpapahinga.
There are seasons to germinate and to blossom; to cocoon and to transform.
There will be fallow periods when it feels like nothing is really happening, but when we continue to trust and show up for our process of becoming, changes inside will eventually manifest outside.
What is this season of your life calling you to do / not do?
#8 Kasama tayo sa pagbubuo ng nais nating kultura.
We play a part in perpetuating oppression as well as cultivating co-liberation.
Every day, we contribute to shaping this culture based on the choices we make, in private spaces and public realms.
What is the culture you want to contribute to creating in this life?
***
I feel like each “pagbubuo-ism” or philosophy could unearth so many rich stories from those who choose to reflect on them. In case that person is you, I’d love to know which one resonates most with you in the comments.
Should I restart a reflective writing circle once again? 😊 Let me know.
‘Til the next post,
Jen
P.S. Keep up with more of my thought snacks via @pagbubuo on Instagram. I’m trying to share more fragments of myself and my life there these days.
