God Bless Yourself
Whenever someone sneezes, people are typically obligated to say “God bless you”, or some form of it, to be polite. Ever wonder why? There are several reasons, and none of them really matter for the purpose of this article.
The real question is: Why do the people who happen to be nearby when someone else sneezes obligated to say anything at all? Shouldn’t the burden be placed on the person who sneezed?
When someone burps, farts, yawns, or engages in any other bodily functions that disrupt the area they’re occupying, they say “excuse me”. Somehow, sneezing separated itself from the rest of these bodily functions though, and switched from being a disruption to something that deserves a blessing from God. This despite the fact that it’s really the only bodily function besides coughing that spreads illness to innocent bystanders.
Am I overreacting? Absolutely. But this is just one of those things that I think shouldn’t be passed on to the next generation. No, it doesn’t hurt anybody, but it’s inconsistent and pointless, which is enough reason for me to wish to phase it out of our etiquette.
3 years ago