The Ukrainian Parliament is reviewing a draft law in its first reading proposing a nationwide mandatory minute of silence at 9 a.m. in honor of the fallen. The proposal requires everything to stop at this time, after which regular activities would resume as normal.
Experts note that such collective memorialization practices carry both positive and negative consequences. There is an opinion that over time, any compulsory ritual risks losing genuine emotion, becoming mechanical, and may provoke indifference or even resistance among sections of society. Social psychologists emphasize that personal feelings such as grief and mourning are difficult to ritualize without losing emotional depth.
The debate also touches on whether such a moment should be enforced by law or left as a social initiative. The example of Lviv, where the city observes a minute of silence at 9 a.m. voluntarily, is referenced. Experts warn that repeated rituals, especially in a society experiencing mass loss due to war, could lead to desensitization and a diminished sense of remembrance.
It is stressed that these initiatives are meaningful only if sincerely embraced by society. Otherwise, there is a risk of ritualizing remembrance in a way that erodes its original purpose.
