OUR DISTINCT BUT INSEPARABLE DREAMS AS A COUPLE
When we first met, we were already walking different paths—one of us rooted in faith-inspired activism and intercultural dialogue, the other drawn to community enterprise and compassionate leadership. Over time, those paths converged like two mountain streams flowing into one river. Our shared life has become a journey of harmony—spiritual, ethical, physical, psychological, social, political, economic, and ecological. These are not abstract categories for us; they are living realities we experience daily as partners in marriage, ministry, and peacebuilding. Our dreams are distinct, but they flow together toward one vision: to contribute to a world where peace is lived, justice is practiced, and creation is cherished.
“Our distinct callings are like two instruments—different tones, one song.”
— Pugawang and Kasunayan
Our Spiritual-Ethical Dream: Inner Transformation as the Source of Change
Bai Kasunayan’s dream has always been to see peace made visible through compassionate leadership and community-based enterprise. Datu Pugawang’s vision has been to cultivate peace rooted in spiritual renewal and intercultural understanding.
Together, we’ve learned that transformation must begin within. We have seen this truth echoed around the world—from South Africa’s truth-telling and reconciliation (Tutu, 1999) to the mindfulness traditions of Asian peacemakers (Queen & King, 1996).
Our spiritual-ethical journey as a couple calls us to live simply, act justly, and love generously. Without inner harmony, no external project can endure.
Our Physical-Psychological Dream: Healing, Wholeness, and Well-being
Over the years, we’ve discovered that sustainable peace is inseparable from human well-being. When bodies are nourished and minds are at peace, communities thrive.
We’ve witnessed this in post-war Europe’s rebuilding through the Marshall Plan (De Long & Eichengreen, 1991) and in the disciplined renewal of Japan during the Meiji Restoration (Beasley, 1972). Both reveal that health and education are the backbone of recovery.
Our own work integrates care for emotional and physical wellness. In our coffee communities, in every training session, and in our rhythms of rest, we seek to nurture the wholeness that makes peace tangible.
Our Social-Political Dream: Justice Rooted in Participation
In our marriage and mission, we’ve always believed that peace is political—not in the partisan sense, but in the sense that it demands just structures and inclusive governance.
We draw inspiration from the Nordic model of participatory democracy (Esping-Andersen, 1990) and from Porto Alegre’s participatory budgeting (Abers, 2000). These global practices affirm what we see in our own peacebuilding work in Mindanao: when people share power, hope becomes sustainable.
In our partnership, we strive to embody this by listening to one another, making decisions collaboratively, and ensuring that leadership—whether in home or community—is mutual and respectful.
“Partnership is politics practiced with love.”
— Kasunayan
Our Economic-Ecological Dream: Regenerating Both Life and Land
As co-founders of Coffee for Peace, our dream is to see livelihood creation and ecological stewardship become one seamless process.
We find resonance with Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (Ura et al., 2012) and with the Māori value of kaitiakitanga—guardianship of the earth (Marsden, 2003). These remind us that development is not about consuming the planet but caring for it.
Every coffee bean, every community partnership, every advocacy for fair trade represents our shared commitment to prosperity that regenerates life rather than depleting it.
Our Inclusive Dream: Everyone Has a Place at the Table
Inclusive development is the heart of our shared mission. It means that peacebuilding must always be gender-balanced, intercultural, and intergenerational.
The United Nations Development Programme (2018) defines inclusion as expanding human freedom and leaving no one behind. For us, that translates into ensuring that women, Indigenous Peoples, farmers, and youth co-lead in defining their development paths.
Our family, our team, and our partner communities teach us daily that inclusion is not tokenism—it is transformation.
“When every voice is heard, peace becomes music.”
— Pugawang
Our Ethical Dream: Integrity as the Foundation of Everything
Ethical leadership is what ties all our dreams together. From Singapore’s integrity-driven governance (Quah, 2011) to Rwanda’s post-genocide rebuilding through accountability (Ansoms, 2008), we’ve seen that trust is the soil in which justice grows.
In our shared work, ethics means transparency in finances, honesty in partnerships, and humility in leadership. It means doing what is right, even when no one is watching.
We pray that every project under Waves, PeaceBuilders Community, and Coffee for Peace continues to reflect the ethical clarity of our values and the spiritual depth of our faith.
One Journey, Many Paths
Though our dreams are distinct, they are inseparable. One of us envisions peace through enterprise; the other through dialogue and spiritual formation. Together, these paths merge into one current of harmony.
Our journey as a couple mirrors the development we advocate: holistic, inclusive, and ethical. We continue to learn that marriage, like peacebuilding, is not about uniformity—it is about mutual transformation.
This is our lifelong prayer: that our union, our work, and our legacy might serve as a small reflection of the Creator’s dream for harmony in all creation.
Flowing with the Rhythm of Peace
Our partnership is not a coincidence—it is a covenant. Every act of love, every shared struggle, and every laughter over coffee is a testament to the divine rhythm that brought us together.
Development, for us, begins in the home, in the way we listen and forgive each other, and extends outward into the communities we serve. It is both personal and planetary, intimate and universal.
May our distinct but inseparable dreams continue to ripple outward, touching lives, restoring hope, and nurturing peace that endures.
— Pugawang and Kasunayan
References
- Abers, R. N. (2000). Inventing local democracy: Grassroots politics in Brazil. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
- Ansoms, A. (2008). Striving for growth, bypassing the poor? A critical review of Rwanda’s rural sector policies. Journal of Modern African Studies, 46(1), 1–32.
- Beasley, W. G. (1972). The Meiji Restoration. Stanford University Press.
- De Long, J. B., & Eichengreen, B. (1991). The Marshall Plan: History’s most successful structural adjustment program. In Postwar Economic Reconstruction and Lessons for the East Today (pp. 189–230). MIT Press.
- Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Princeton University Press.
- Marsden, M. (2003). The Woven Universe: Selected writings of Rev. Māori Marsden. Estate of Rev. Māori Marsden.
- Queen, C. S., & King, S. B. (1996). Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist liberation movements in Asia. SUNY Press.
- Quah, J. S. T. (2011). Curbing corruption in Asian countries: An impossible dream? Emerald Group Publishing.
- Tutu, D. (1999). No future without forgiveness. Image Books.
- United Nations Development Programme. (2018). Human Development Indices and Indicators: 2018 Statistical Update. UNDP.
- Ura, K., Alkire, S., Zangmo, T., & Wangdi, K. (2012). A short guide to Gross National Happiness Index. Centre for Bhutan Studies.
- World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our common future. Oxford University Press.
