⭐️③ I tried thinking about the dangers of [labels] persistently

🏷Introduction

Labels again!?
Yes, that's right.
BecauseI wore a Help Mark for the first time while riding public transportafter all.

🏷Help Mark Review

It's freebut
the office you go to might differ depending on your municipalityperhaps.
I got it just in case for my mother, who has dementia and lives in a group home, because she used to take buses and trains every day when she lived alone.
My mother never used it even once.
She seems to be good at spatial awareness, so she never got lost or couldn't find her way home.
Though she did rummage through her bag because she couldn't find her commuter pass, or come home from the supermarket with the shopping cart still in tow (because the bags were heavy 💢)...

🏷First Route Bus

I had an errand that was decided before I broke my bone.
I went out wearing loose sandals because I couldn't put on shoes.
At the bus stop, an elderly womannoticed my Help Mark and said, 'You go ahead and get on first,'letting me go ahead in line.
'It takes me time to board, so I'm fine going last,'I initially declined, but'It's fine, I'll be right behind you,' she said.
That's amazing right from the start!! Help Mark

🏷My heart is fine

I can use my left arm and leg, so I can board if the step is low and there's a handrail on the left.
Because of traffic congestion, the bus was quite late, so it was packed and no one noticed.
A nasty thought crossed my mind: would it have been better to attach the Help Mark to the other side of my bag so people sitting down could see it?
The only person who showed concern was the woman from earlier.
'Are you okay? You have a heart condition, right?' 'Oh? Ah? No, um, I'm okay.'
There are many curves and a rotary, somy leg is in danger, but my heart is fine.

🏷Help Mark = Pacemaker?

Is the Help Mark associated with pacemakers?Because of the heart shape?
I have several acquaintances who are pacemaker users.
Some people occasionally feel unwell when the replacement time approaches, but everyone is generally doing well.
Perhaps consideration is needed to not use mobile phones nearby to prevent malfunctions, but the users themselves are using mobile phones.

🏷First Train

Just as I reached the platform, the train arrived.
Someone who noticed my wobbly walking? Or the Help Mark?kept the door from closing by keeping half their body inside the train.I was so grateful—I wanted to treat them to eel.
Inside the train,
a woman with a Maternity Mark was standing.She didn't notice me, but I whispered in my heart, 'Let's both do our best.'

🏷Would taking a taxi solve it?

There are voices saying that people with children shouldn't ride crowded trains, or that if you're physically weak, you should avoid commuting hours.It's not like I want my baby to cry or that I want to demand a seat.

The people themselves feel miserable,you know.But
sometimes it's 'unavoidable.'Me? To be honest, after debating whether to take a taxi, I really wanted to test the reaction to the Help Mark!!On the train I transferred to, there was an empty seat.
I can't bend my knee, so even if I sit, my right leg is stuck out in front, which is a huge nuisance!!

Needless to say, I hurriedly made the Help Mark more visible.

🏷 The 'other' kind of label

Help marks and maternity marks arevisible labels = the person is aware of it themselvesin almost all cases, whereas there isa 'different' kind of label that one only becomes aware of by acquiring a 'name/word'I was diagnosed with depression and told to take a leave of absence starting the next day, and I was truly shocked.

Did I have prejudices against 'depression' myself!?Until now,
I have had the experience of things falling into place once names were attached, such as my mother having a personality disorder, my middle son having ADHD, my ex-husband being emotionally abusive, and my workplace having power harassment.Even though I have that?Now I've even started showing off my labels myself.

🏷 How to use labels

While reading the newspaper, the words'the dangers of labels'jumped out at me.
This is from an interview with Shuhei Iimura (a full-time lecturer at Soka University and psychologist), author of 'Questioning the Merits and Demerits of the HSP Boom'.

There are people whose lives have become easier because they learned the word HSP and understood the reason for their difficulties in living.
On the other hand,they are being charged high fees for non-covered medical servicesor are being targeted by businesses that gather students by pretending to empower them with the idea that 'sensitivity is a talent'.They are being made into business targets.

People who connect to support because they get the 'developmental disability' label.
On the other hand, to think that some people dislike the labeling of 'disability' and keep themselves away from appropriate support, remaining in a state of difficulty in living...

🏷 The dangers of labels

Because there is prejudice, discrimination, and exclusion due to labeling,there is the danger ofchoosing the wrong label that you want to attach to yourself.I know it's idealistic, but
I wish we could think of illnesses, disabilities, and temperaments as individual differences.Just like facial features, height, hair quality, being bad at sports, or being good at drawing.Since there is no 'above' or 'below' or 'pity' involved, I hope everyone can obtain the appropriate label and receive the appropriate treatment and support.
It would be even better if it were a world where we didn't even need labels.

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