The Pahalgam tragedy, a senseless act of terrorism that extinguished twenty-six lives – shattering families and futures – shook the entire nation of India. This profound loss left everyone feeling the weight of grief and anger, a sentiment powerfully reflected as social media flooded with posts expressing agony and condemnation of the attack, creating a palpable feeling that the world held its breath together.
But then, you’d stumble across something unsettling, wouldn’t you? A celebrity who was just posting about the tragedy suddenly went back to their usual sunny selfies or promoting their next project. It felt… off. Like, did they even notice the world had stopped for a moment?
Of course, everyone has the right of individual expression, but it can be modified into the empathetic expression of understanding and support in such times of tragic loss. And this expression can be achieved through silence—respecting profound loss—and later, active support because: “True empathy lies in balancing both—moving beyond the noise to find meaningful connection.”
In these moments, silence is not inaction; it’s a conscious decision to refrain from adding to the cacophony and to avoid actions that could be perceived as insensitive or self-serving. It’s a space we create for grief to be acknowledged, without the need for immediate commentary.
Consider the personal experience of losing a loved one. Wouldn’t it amplify the pain and isolation to see a friend, fully aware of your loss, posting carefree moments from their own life? Similarly, those who tragically lost their lives in the attack represent a shared vulnerability; it could have been any one of us.
Sure, life goes on, and not everything can be put on hold, but those personal moments, those happy snaps? They can probably wait a little while, tucked away in our phones, especially when someone else has just lost everything. Therefore, we have a collective responsibility to extend unwavering support to their families. While we cannot alleviate their pain, we can offer a virtual embrace—a manifestation of empathy—conveying our shared grief and solidarity.
Imagine the profound impact if celebrities and public figures with wider reach and influence used their platform to create an online community to support or hold a space for collective grief, and here their responsibility ended with a post that just came across as performative activism.
At its core, kindness is empathy. In the digital age, this translates directly to our online behavior. Even a brief pause in personal promotion can become a powerful act of solidarity, a silent acknowledgment of pain that conveys, “We see you, we grieve with you.” It’s truly regrettable that the online landscape felt so divisive and insensitive, with one segment of social media proceeding with its usual content while another grappled with the tragedy and its unfolding news, including firsthand accounts that sometimes leaned toward sensationalism. This “silence of respect” allows genuine empathy to flourish, which can be followed by thoughtful and purposeful engagement.
Our active response, born from the same empathy as our initial silence, should move beyond expressing grief. We can share verified support resources (donations, mental health), highlight meaningful ways to contribute (volunteering), and, after initial mourning, share stories of resilience to offer hope without diminishing the tragedy. Gently encouraging online sensitivity and respectful participation in community memorials also demonstrates collective grief and solidarity.
Rather than becoming just another incident for news channels, this should be a time of becoming one big family, where hope meets fear, pain meets empathy, and loss meets a feeling of belonging.
“Let our silence speak volumes, and let our mindful actions amplify that message.”
You too can be a creator of a compassionate world that values meaningful silence and strengthen efforts that celebrate kindness, bravery and shared humanity. Like I have decided to go ahead with a petition requesting the government to confer the martyr status on the victims to honor their memory and provide solace to the grieving families.
