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Mayday on Mute: The Distress Signals We Fail to Hear

BY: PRATHAM GOLCHA

“The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
— George Bernard Shaw

Every single day, we pass through dozens of silent alarms. Not the subtle cries, or the blaring kind- disguised as detachment, quietness, or a half-hearted smile masking pain. We are surrounded by Mayday calls from the ground, rather than from the skies. We too often do not hear them too, not because they aren’t loud enough, but for the sole reason that we ain’t listening. The recent events have made the netizensaware of the fact that when a plane sends out a “Mayday” signal, it is meant to trigger an urgent response. Every second counts, every resource mobilizes. But, when a human being sends a similar call for help in practical day-to-day life, what happens? The call is most likely to be met with silence, rather than words.

That friend who starts cancelling plans and says “I’m tired.” That classmate who goes quiet out of nowhere, no longer raising their hand in class or replying on the WhatsApp chat. That neighbour who used to nod their head to you every morning, but now walks with their head down. That parent who holds the entire household together, but winces quietly when no one’s watching. These are not mere coincidences, or events in isolation. These are real-everyday life Mayday signals- sent not through radios, but through anxious texts, subtle changes in behaviour, quiet withdrawals, and broken hearts. Unlike the urgency shown when a plane falters, these signals are, unfortunately, often met with indifference, or at times, worse- invisibility.

Life is delicate, way more than you’d think- just like that afternoon flight you might hear overhead. It can seem secure and high-flying one moment, and nose-diving the next. Turbulence comes without any warning- often unannounced, in the form of grief, heartbreak, pain, anxiety, or a quiet internal war. Unlike pilots, most people are not trained enough to call for help when things start spiralling. Hiding is the best option to resort to. And oh, so is pretending. They tell themselves the proposition- that nobody will understand. And, in this way, their Mayday becomes mute.

The cries can still be answered- the irony! If, and only if, someone chooses to notice and take appropriate action, extend a helping hand or a lending ear. If, and only if, someone chooses connection over convenience, listening over scrolling, humanity over selfishness. Today, we are living in a world where suffering is silenced by the need to appear ‘strong.’ “I’m fine” is more of a defense mechanism nowadays, rather than an expression of well-being. This is solely because of the fact that admitting “I’m not okay” can feel like ‘weakness’ in a society that is obsessed with the terms “positivity,” “hustle,” “multitasking,”, emotional independence’, or “sorted.”

The cost of ignoring mental and emotional Maydays is steep. Burnout turns into breakdowns, loneliness festers into depression, silence spirals to heartbreaks. Unspoken trauma only grows heavier and sometimes, it becomes too late to respond. After all, what is human life without problems? Who doesn’t have them?

The good news? We do not need special qualifications or requirements to be a responder. We don’t need training or uniforms to take notice when someone isn’t themselves. We also do not need a therapist’s chair to offer compassion. We need to just pay attention.

Next time you really meet someone up, ask the second question of not “How are you?” but “How are you really?” When someone gives a vague answer, pause! Send that follow-up message. Show up. Take a few moments. And being the emotionally vulnerable beings that we are, when someone does finally open up- don’t rush to fix, compare, find analogies, minimize, or worst, invalidate. Just listen. Just be there.

Mostly, the mere act of being heard can keep someone from giving up, because of your kindness. You never know how every day you brighten someone up, your one-off kind act is still remembered by that soul, your one line of generosity made someone’s day! Life is not just short, but freaky. We are the first people, when someone passes away, to quip things like “I wish I had called him more,” “She always seemed so happy, I had no idea,” “I should have noticed.”

Why do we have to wait for tragedies to happen to remind us of empathy? Why does the absence of a person make us appreciate them, and not their presence as much? Why do tears roll down when the person is no longer in this world? Where was the unsaid love, respect when the person was alive? Mental health awareness should not be confined to a specific day, or to headlines, or following a celebrity’s suicide. It needs to become a habit over a period of time. A reflex. A core human responsibility. If someone collapsed right in front of us, we wouldn’t perhaps walk away. But emotional collapses happen around us daily, way more in number than the physical ones. Let us stop ignoring them, of ours, as well as of others.

You have the power to not just change lives, but transform them, by doing simple things sincerely. As always, it is the smaller things in life that matter. Be the one who brings humanity back into daily life—through conversation, kindness, presence, or even the smallest act that you could do. After all, saving a life does not always need a runway, or an ambulance, or even a crisis hotline. Sometimes, all it takes is a ten-minute walk, a cup of coffee, a small embrace, or simply saying, “I’m here.”

In this unpredictable flight of life, we are all just passengers. While some of us are navigating stormy clouds, others are losing altitude fast, and a great number of us are also silently screaming into the void. We can still respond to the Mayday call- albeit not with sirens, but with sincerity, consciousness, and conviction.

Let us not wait for someone to break down publicly before they reach us, or worse- for a disaster to remind us that we indeed care. It is all here, and now- the opportunity to listen, respond, and love.

Because, even the quietest Mayday deserves to be heard. And answered.

And answered.

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