Galaw

Galaw is the subtle sway of a jeepney driver’s shoulders as he navigates a pothole. It is the sabay (the groove) of a group of kids playing patintero in a dusty alley. It is the involuntary tapping of a finger against a wooden table when someone starts humming an Eraserheads song.

When something breaks, your first instinct should be subukan (to try). Not to call a repairman. Not to buy a new one. Move your hands. Take the screwdriver. You might fail. But ang galaw (the movement) is the point. Galaw as Love Here is the most important part. We often think of love as a feeling. Nararamdaman (felt). But in the trenches of a relationship, love is galaw . Galaw is the subtle sway of a jeepney

Today, I want to explore why Galaw —as a philosophy, a physical practice, and a social duty—might just be the secret ingredient to surviving modern life. In the West, movement is often mechanical. You go to the gym for one hour. You walk 10,000 steps. You check a box. But Galaw is organic. It is the pag-eehersisyo of the lola who doesn't know what a squat rack is but can carry a bucket of water up three flights of stairs without spilling a drop. When something breaks, your first instinct should be

That is Galaw as a social contagion. Action inspires action. We are living through the Great Freeze. We scroll. We watch. We react with a "heart" emoji, but our bodies remain horizontal on the couch. We confuse reaction (a click of a mouse) with galaw (a shift of the spine). Move your hands