Over ten years ago, the seed of an idea started to grow in my imagination. I drew a bumper sticker design (more on that another day) on a piece of paper while bored at work one day, and the idea eventually expanded to include a blog featuring creative nonfiction essays, social media posts, and a store, all to promote empathy and mental health awareness. Along the way, I reserved domain names, email addresses, and social media profiles in hopes that I would eventually have the energy and resources to take the idea to more concrete stages. It was a rough decade financially for me, filled with health and career instability, so most of the time, I wasn’t sure if my dream was ever going to be put to use.
In the midst of the pandemic, in summer of 2020, I thought to myself, “Well, I certainly have the time now, and if there was ever a season when the world needed help developing empathy and mental health awareness, this seems like a good time.” Since I worked in a public school, I was home for months watching the news of the disease spreading, people succumbing to covid, the confusion, and intense fear. I also watched with concern the utter lack of empathy some people showed in the midst of the chaos. There was a lack of empathy for those without the mental or economic resources to stay home, for those who feared losing their housing, or who did not have housing to begin with, for the immunocompromised and elderly, and conversely, there was also a lack of empathy for those who were so filled with fear about the changing social landscape that they “rebelled” against the dictated restraints. Even if I didn’t agree with their refusal to extend the courtesy of concern for other’s safety, I did understand that fear was driving their reactions too. In basic Biology, we learn about fight or flight mode in creatures who are scared for their lives, but sometimes forget to apply it to humanity. Speaking of fear, there were Black Lives Matter protests pleading for empathy and human kindness towards people who were marginalized and persecuted by the institutionalized racism in the USA. The governments around the world floundered in their attempts to create an effective response to the spreading virus and the increasing public outrage about all matters, health and social justice, and everything in between. It was all one big fear tornado ripping through the fabric of our societies.
I remember thinking that the entire world was going to experience collective PTSD from our ordeal. It was not surprising that in the subsequent years, economies dipped, wars broke out, extreme ideologies grew bolder in voicing their opinions, and people were collectively mad as hell and worn out. In the midst of all this, I was struggling with my own mental health journey, although, unlike pre-pandemic years, I was actually in a safer situation that allowed me to process it surrounded by people with good boundaries, in a spacious home and loving family, with no shortage of food or hobbies to pursue. If the pandemic had happened even four years previously, I might not have made it through as smoothly, if at all. Even though I did not return to working in the building until Fall 2020, I was lucky to not lose my income while I worked in a public school, but many of the students who attended the Title 1 school district were in volatile financial situations in their home life. Our school had a food pantry and still distributed free meals in a drive-by pickup line in front of the school while students worked from home. I shared the feelings that many people struggled with during this time- trapped, alone, afraid, hopeless, and completely powerless.
I started the trademark process for Fragile Human after the pandemic. I don’t have any grandiose expectations that my blog and shirts emblazoned with the words of the brand will solve world problems, but it is my way of processing the complexity that is our humanity. I want this blog and brand to be a safe place where people hear the stories of fellow humans who are different from them, but maybe not as different as they think. I want Fragile Human to remind people that we are precious, worthy of care, and also that being human is just plain weird sometimes. I want it to be a reminder of how to live in the world with empathy. I want Fragile Human to encourage people to feel safe facing the vicissitudes of life armed with the proper tools to approach their mental health.
Finally in January 2o24, my trademark application has been approved! FRAGILE HUMAN is now an officially registered trademark of the United States Trademark and Patent Office! While this means my work is just beginning, I am proud that my idea from a decade ago lasted through many years of personal hardship, a global pandemic, and against the many subsequent discouragements that almost made me give up on the idea. While I have many plans for this idea, I am curious to see where it will lead next. If anything, I hope when a fellow Fragile Human comes across this website or the content on social media, they will leave encouraged to love more and to embrace another day in hope.
FRAGILE HUMAN 