Half of my family are atheists and the other catholic. Even the atheists in my family say bless you. What the heck does it really matter? This is a dumb question, in my opinion
1
I'm an atheist. If someone sneezes I don't say anything to them, why would I? Sneezing is a natural bodily function, I wouldn't say something if a person yawned, hiccupped, sneezed or went to the bathroom. When someone says something to me after I sneeze I just roll my eyes at them...it's the same when people say they'll pray for me... dude if you don't want to help then just say so cos at least that's being honest.
I guess I am a bad person ; I say bless you after a sneeze , Merry Christmas during the holidays and hope that it is received in the spirit that I tossed it out there . If the person doesn't like it ; joke 'em . I'm not looking to proselytize anybody , it's an expression of goodwill .
If someone was handing fifty dollar bills out and they had a pentagram drawn on them ; I'd take one . i probably wouldn't put it in the collection plate on Sunday , but I would still take it .
People are too sensitive over nothing these days .
1
This reminds me of the Seinfeld episode.
@Janis That's exactly what I was thinking!
You are sooo good looking
I have a friend that says "Don't die" when someone sneezes, apparently of the belief that when you sneeze, your heart stops momentarily. No idea if this is true but I like it better than God Bless You, not being a religious person.
3
@Kathryn Krogstad I was going to post the same, as that is what I was told. :)
Well, I have a sneaking suspicion that the English expression ‘bless you’ (in response to a sneeze) is just echoic or onamatopoeic, nothing to do with a blessing or Blesser.
After all, if ‘bless you’ (in response to a sneeze) had something to do with the Christian god, for example, then we should expect to find it in other European languages. But we don’t (do we)?
The English words ‘bless you’ just **sound like** a sneeze; so to utter the words conveys empathy.
Even so, I prefer ‘Gesundheit’—but I say it in Yiddish, ‘gezuntheyt’, not than anyone notices.
.
2
I think the appropriate response in the US is one of these "Use your elbow." "Where is your mask?" "EEE-EW!" "Get your hand sanitizer." For those who aren't masked or sneeze into the air or on their hands?
I learned in my Spanish class that in Mexico some say "Sancho". I leave you all to Google that one.
Unlike most people who believe that everything is a sign of the divine, I prefer the more secular "Gesundheit" which literally means "health" in German.
I'm acknowledging the sneezing, which only seems polite, but often really has little to do with the state of one's health.
And I only respond with that expletive if someone sneezes twice - if one sneeze only, it could just be by mistake!
Years ago, I took Gaelic lessons and was told that that the response “God bless you” to a sneeze was actually the English shortened translation from the actual Gaelic response of “God bless me and keep me from getting what you’ve got.”
3
We say, “You're so good looking!” when someone we know sneezes!
1
I was in waiting in line in Rome's airport and a person sneezed, no body acknowledged it, same on the train in Munich. I was surprised but said nothing, when in Rome .....
3
If you don't like to say, "Bless you or God bless you" after someone sneezes, try saying, "Do you need a tissue?"
1
It’s true, saying ” bless you”, is a nice way to say “hey are you okay dude?” Who knows if that person has no one in their life, and to have a random person acknowledge them with a “bless You” maybe makes them feel not so alone. That’s just how I see it.
5
I never got it. No one says anything, when someone coughs, which is usually a more ominous sign.
4
I don't say it reflexively or even in a religious manner as I am not religious, but I do say "bless you" as that seems to be the most commonly accepted phrase in America. I was aware of the meaning and I think it's just nice to acknowledge or be acknowledged. Like if someone yells or makes a noise, you often turn around or have some type of response. If someone says it to me, I think of it like the various ways to say "welcome" in different languages. No one has to say it, but if someone does, my response is also not reflexive because I appreciate that "micro-connection" and who knows, you might have even lifted someone's day! Sneezes come when your body needs to expel something so I'm all for offering (or receiving) a wish of good health in whatever form someone chooses to offer it and it's good to not take things so offensively (unless that person meant it that way). In which case, is it better if someone said "curse you?" :)
4
As someone who was raised a Jehovah's Witness, I was always taught NOT to say "bless you" when a person sneezes, due to the "false religion" origins of the expression. Once I got out and entered college, it took me some time to get used to saying "bless you" when people around me sneezed, given that it's considered rude not to, and I had to try hard to fit in. Now it's become such a force of habit that even when I visit my family and one of them sneezes, I have to consciously hold myself back from blessing them (or else get laughed at), and it feels weird to sneeze without hearing anything in response.
3
when my son was small, he misunderstood and always said "splash you", which seemed more appropriate
11
@toni
That's very cute! Your son was also very observant; a sneeze is often a splash!
I grew up saying "Gesundheit" and I still do. As noted in the article, it's an ingrained habit, almost reflexive, and when I don't say it, especially when someone I know sneezes. I feel a sense of incompletion.
4
I appreciate bless you, especially during the height of COVID. I felt welcomed instead of an outcast.
5
I refuse to respond whatsoever. It was always a reactionary response that left me with questions as to why people feel the need to say it. When I could never get a response worth anything, I realized that this simply passed on blindly from generation to generation, and that it held no real meaning. If anyone asks why I am rude for not offering this "blessing", I usually respond with, "hey, nothing but the best bud!"
4
I couldn't agree more. I've even seen people get offended because they get no response back. Really ? I don't know you. I always thought it extremely odd that a total stranger walking by figures they have some special power to bless strangers. Get Lost !
I was raised catholic but I don't really get saying God bless you anymore. So my coworker and I just say super spreader. It's funnier and much more accurate
4
Gee, I've always thought that most people believe that someone's soul can fly out of his nose when he sneezes, and, if he's not immediately blessed by a Christian, it might not find its way back in, so he'd fall dead on the spot while the soul wafted heavenward. That's why I say "Gesundheit!" when someone sneezes (as an expected courtesy) and chuckle when someone says "God bless you" to me.
3
@Thomas
That's what I heard as a child. I think it might have started around the time of the first mass Black Plague (not sure of the date), when the pneumonic form, spread by coughing and sneezing, killed people even more rapidly than the most common form, bubonic.
1
Our daughter and son-in-law are firmly anti-religious (though our daughter was raised Jewish), and when our grandson was born they decided that teaching him to say "God bless you" after someone sneezed was not in the cards. Our son-in-law is a social science researcher, so he looked around at what other cultures say after a sneeze. They settled on a phrase from the Balkans (where his family has its origins): "Go away kittens!" Why and how this tradition came to be is a complete mystery, but it's delightful in its absurdity, and we have gotten into the habit now.
7
@Peter Maybe this works for people who are allergic to cats. Also, it matches with an old Okinawan story of a cat trying to steal a babies soul by making it sneeze 3 times. This leads to a very funny Okinawan response to sneezing.https://www.ryukyulife.com/2015/07/okinawa-folktale-sneeze-blessing.html?m=1
1
I would like to know why people believe they have the power to bless anyone after a sneeze, (unless of course they may be an ordained minister of some sort or other.)
1
"unless of course they may be an ordained minister of some sort or other"
Even then ,it is questionable whether they have the power to do that
While living in Japan I was taught not to respond to sneezes because, as the elder Japanese man explained, "We are responsible for our own demons". I respected that and discontinued "Bless you" even after returning to the States.
3
@mb. My son lives in Japan and I find the silence after a sneeze there disquieting.
I say "godzilla." As an atheist, I feel this random ritual deserves a random response. Furthermore, I'm tired of thanking people for not minding their own business. Sounds rude, but I have bigger fish to fry.
4
It’s a common courtesy.
1
@MC Marshall
This made me laugh! Especially in light of Godzilla's "atomic breath"!
My reply to bless you is always bless you too. Spread the love!
9
When I was growing up in the Midwest, my German father always said Geshundheit when we sneezed. It just means “health.” As others noted, no more religious connotations in the least.
7
In Spain the most customary thing to say after sneezing is "Jesús", (whether you are religious or not), just a clarification.
1
Someone should do research as to whether expelling air (by saying a phrase) is protective by deflecting aerosols leaving a sneezer nearby.
3
I've lived in Japan for over 10 years now. Here, there is no tradition of saying anything at all after a sneeze - it is just ignored. When I first got here, I instinctively said "bless you" when I heard a sneeze. The reaction to that was always an apology from the sneezer, as if they thought they were disturbing me with the noise. That got me to stop real quick, and by now, the impulse to say anything after a sneeze is mostly gone. I just ignore it like everyone else.
1
This issue has been dealt with exhaustively on Seinfeld.
https://www.facebook.com/aztv7/videos/2841008689475888/
2
I say, 'Excuse me" after I sneeze. Let's change that silly societal knee-jerk reaction to a bodily function.
1
What is the proper etiquette after you've said "Bless you" and the person sneezes again, and again?
@Dr. OutreAmour Possibly to call 911?
2
I immigrated to the US from a secular country when I was a child, and when I was told that this is something Americans do to ward off illness, my first reaction was incredulity that people could actually believe that "god" had anything to do with health.
5
The sayings in different languages also mimic the sound of sneezing as if to save embarrassment to the sneezer. "See, I do it too, nothing to worry about" may be a way of socially comforting the person.
3
Living in Korea/Hong Kong for several years, I saw that sneezes there were given the same significance as a nose-scratch, i.e., none. Seems more reality-based.
More of a micro-affectation than a micro-affection if you ask me. I have even heard the Google thing say it.
1
I say, "Don't you even do that again when I'm present!"
Often the sneezing person says, "Sorry, but I couldn't help it."
1
My father always said "bless you and keep you" when we sneezed. I once looked it up and "bless you " is a shortened form of God bless you and keep you well "which seems very nice to me!
4
In the Odyssey, Telemachus' sneeze is treated as a good omen.
2
In the Tamil language we say "poornayus" which derives from Sanskrit for "live long".
8
In Islam it is said that the Almighty took 40 years to create prophet Adam. When the Almighty “Blew life into him” (Adam), he became alive from head to toe. After Adam sneezed, he said “al hamdu lillah”, meaning “praise the Almighty”. It is customary in islam and practiced by Muslims all over the world.
10
On two different trips between Nairobi and San Francisco, I sneezed nearly nonstop on both legs of the flight. This was long before covid, but my fellow passengers were most certainly cursing rather than blessing me.
The muscles of my abdomen were very painful for days afterwards.
I used to say "Gazpacho" because it sounded close to what people thought someone would say, and they'd say "Thank you. Wait... what??"
Now I say "Science" because the reason you sneezed is, well, science - and it's not dependent on some mythical, spiritual, imaginary whatever.
And for what it's worth, the proper response to "Science" is "Indeed". :-)
18
For some reason I’ve always said “KOWABUNGA!” after someone sneezes.
1
@Ted Gazpacho! I really like that and may adopt it.
The French say "a tes souhaits" when someone sneezes. (Or "a vos souhaits" if the sneezer is not someone they use the informal form of you with.) It means "to your wishes". That always seemed nicer to me than "God bless you".
(And yes, I know that the "a" needs an "accent grave". But I don't know how to put an accent into the comment.)
4
Since COVID, I have tried very hard to leave a room or go outside when I felt I was about to sneeze.
3
I don't think people should respond at all to another person's bodily functions. I would prefer to be ignored after I sneeze--or cough, or burp, or any other possibly embarrassing outburst.
Ignoring the sneeze allows the person to get back their equilibrium. Following a sneeze it is often necessary to settle oneself while blowing the nose, and other cleanup required by the messiness of sneezing.
Having to reply to "Bless you" or some other comment after I sneeze just adds to my already somewhat flustered state.
Time to put let go of this practice from the superstitions of the past.
17
Sure. Remove all politeness and courtesies from society.
I've known the roots of the "blessing" for over half a century, and because of its absurdity and the power it could have to offend people who don't want to be blessed, I never say a thing when I hear someone sneeze. Even more absurd than the reflex is feeling offended when it's not provided.
Why no one seems to question drawing attention to someone's involuntary bodily function is also beyond me.
13
I stopped any acknowledgment of someone sneezing long, long ago. Originally because being an atheist, any reference to some magical belief is absurd to me. If anyone feels I am rude, that’s on them.
When I first stopped I felt a pleasant relief from the ridiculous notion. Now I chuckle to myself and actually feel somewhat sorry for those who don’t even know why they say things but feel compelled.
However, in the world we all find ourselves in presently, kindness to those one knows and especially kindness to those we don’t, should be more than just words.
1
@majorose, please don’t be so sure, that everyone doesn’t know why or what they’re saying, and quiet frankly, the assumption on your part, of knowing what I’m thinking…is a bit like having magic powers? God bless.
7
I've ALWAYS preferred "Gezundheit" over "bless you" or "God Bless You" because I don't feel the need to invoke religion. I would prefer nothing be said but given how this custom has evolved, it would probably be awkward to not say anything. There would be a pregnant pause to not say anything when someone around you sneezed.
4
@Umlaw92 I've always used "Gesundheit" because I grew up with a German grandmother who said it. Now people will think I'm an atheist? Really?
Good! Because I am.
5
I say "Nosundheit" - which is meaningless but the sneezer thinks I said something else & social conformity is intact!
3
Maybe it is the person who sneezed that should be doing the blessing. They are the ones that might be spreading the germs.
3
In our family we have adopted, "Good luck" as our preferred response to a sneeze, and then it's only to family members. When I sneeze and someone says, "Bless you" I hear "I heard you sneeze, it disturbed me and I'm letting you know." When people I don't know out in public sneeze, I remain silent so they won't think they bothered me.
4
I've never understood the desire to say "god bless you" when someone blows spit all over the room. It's a normal biological function and I don't think we need to bless someone for it. I don't say anything when people sneeze although I may open the window!
15
In my house when someone sneezes I expect them to apologize or say "excuse me".....for spewing their germs into the air for all of us to share. Some people sneeze so loud it's ear shattering. Somehow this is acceptable behaviour? Regardless of why you're sneezing, the courteous thing to do is minimize exposure to anyone in close proximity and be as discreet as possible.
9
When I sneeze around other people I say, "Excuse me."
16
I think the whole thing is annoying because to me it is meaningless and silly, so I never say "bless you" when someone sneezes and when I sneeze and someone says "bless you", I am silent.
14
I was taught you say "Bless you" or something like that since when you sneeze, you heart stops for a second and the Devil can jump in!
12
I am on Scottish ancestry and I say "Gesundheit", no Germans in my family history. I have no idea why I say it, instead of bless you.
7
@C My professor of pathology in medical school said that "gesundheit" originated during Black Death of the middle ages. Those patients with pneumonic plague who eventually recovered went thru a phase of sneezing - hence a good prognostic sign - "health" hence gesundheit.
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@jim strosberg
Fascinating. I thought it was due to the fact that pneumonic plague was the most deadly form of plague, often killing in a matter of hours.
Thanks for the info!
Oh, for Pete's sake, I guess I'll have to add "gesundheit" to my list of acceptable utterances.
6
It is nonsense to insist that those who "probably" prefer Gesundheit [to you health] over God bless you are mainly atheists. German's also toast each other with their glasses by saying Gesundheit as well.
In the more southern German majority catholic states they might say God Bless you more, but a large majority of all states just says Gesundheit, be they religious or not.
5
I lived in Germany and had many occasions to toast with drinks and never once heard “Gesundheit” as the toasting word - it was always “Prost”.
1
@Sarah you've inverted it- it's most atheists prob prefer gesundheit, not most people who say gesundheit are atheist.
3
On Seinfeld, Jerry suggested that when someone sneezes we should say "You're so good looking!"
9
came to say this as well!
After all the isolation of Covid, the hostility of a divided country, I wont quibble with a friendly routine pleasantry.
27
As an alternative to invoking an imaginary being I prefer Seinfeld’s “You’re so good looking”.
4
Hows this newsworthy other than to educate a new generation on an age old custom in the time of google?
2
I always say "Bless you" and I agree with this article - no idea why I do it except for years of conditioning. How about saying, "Don't get your darn germs all over the room!"
3
Turkish people say “ Live long” when someone sneezes and the sneezed person replies “You too”:)) This custom has long existed in Turkish culture.
More recently- for some unexplainable reason- a campaign to replace “Live Long” with “Live well” has started, but it never took off among us. We love “Live Long” wish and the “ You too” response.
6
Sneezing is not the only bodily sound that elicits a response from others.
Some of the others promote laughter, disgust, wonder, etc, but at least they generally keep religion on the side.
3
I always used to ignore sneezes, until I realized I like the feeling of having my social faux pas (sneezing) be absolved by the "bless you"! Sneezing is so mortifying, especially during COVID times (yes, I mask and sneeze into my elbow even with the mask), that the little "bless you" can really help calm my anxiety.
7
This article, in tenor, tone and content, was simply an excellent choice to include in today's NYT. Absolutely brilliant. Stellar decision making on the part of the editorial staff. Bless you one and all.
4
If someone sneezes in an elevator today, it will probably be quickly followed by a powerful gust of air as others try to escape from the elevator; the sneezer might hear one "bless you" uttered from a safe distance after everyone has fled from the general area. After all, we want to maintain some semblance of civility.
3
My wife and I have a friend who will, on occasion have sneezing fits....8-12 in a row. Years ago while we were all on a trip to Amsterdam, she started one while we were all on the tram. The Dutch woman across from us waited until the sneezing was finished, and then said, "I guess that the sun will come out tomorrow". Not sure if this is a common Dutch phrase, but it made us all smile.
3
When I was a child, I thought people were saying, "bleshew," which I took as a single word that meant, "You just sneezed." I didn't realize people were blessing each other until I was about 13. And then I though it was weird and stopped saying it.
8
I am 71. I have never said Bless You or similar to anyone. I always thought it was the strangest thing to hear and could be monotonous during cold and flu season. The only woman who ever said it routinely was the office hypocrite, the one who routinely threw you under the bus, attended church regularly, and was holier than the rest of us. I still cringe when I hear Bless You. I don't need your patronizing blessings.
16
I was raised, happily, humanistically in a secular household in Minnesota saying "gesundheit." And while it translates to the same, I've never been compelled to say "bless you." Despite living in Boston where you never hear gesundheit, and always bless you, I've always felt that saying bless you was subtle proselytizing, projecting personal secularism on an impersonal, natural, bodily reaction. I'm certain I'm reading far more into it, that it's just acculturation, but I guess I'm weird that way. Words matter?
3
*Of course I meant "personal sectarianism."
1
Blessings are the inner child expressing its fear of the world.
3
There is a strong Judeo-Christian belief that all life (breath) and comes from God and returns to God. Further there is the belief that God heals the sick, and miraculous healings were a reported phenomenon of Jesus' ministry.
A sneeze can be the first sign of the onset of sickness (i.e. a cold). To invoke a blessing is meant as a kindness: a brief prayer, if you will, that the person remain healthy, or be restored to health.
Apart from sneezing, I often invoke a blessing on greeting or departing someone: Be blessed. Or perhaps: Be blessed in all things.
And so may you, dear reader, be blessed. In all things.
2
When we ridicule other cultures for things that make no sense to us, it's good to remember that we have our own inexplicable habits. One of many things I had to adjust to when I moved to China was that, when people sneezed, no one reacted in any way. It really bothered me and, as the quote above says, it seemed rude.
5
@Keith Bernard But I'm sure you learned that different cultures have different habits and neither is 'rude.' Having lived in Shanghai for 5 years, it now sounds really bizarre for folks to make a big deal of sneeze by throwing blessings around.
3
@Keith Bernard interesting, as books on etiquette and manners one is supposed to ignore all bodily sounds. To respond in any way (laugh, snigger, call out or offer blessings ) was to be rude.
In my experience, it was in the mid-70's when gesundheit started catching on and then that was run over with bless you in the 80's and this century to have it now be considered rude not to say something. I will stick with not saying anything nor answering when someone feels the knee-jerk reaction to comment on my body, else I respond pleasantly with "I am not superstitious."
I have mostly quit saying anything when someone sneezes even though I may be seen as rude. I don't like doing something just because "we've always done it" when it clearly serves no purpose. People sneeze all the time, and it doesn't mean they are ill, so there is no need to wish them health because of it. When my husband sneezes, it shakes the walls of the house, and I feel like if anything, he should be apologizing to me for the disruption.
16
When I arrived in Grenada in August 1977, an elderly local man at the Customs area sneezed and I said "Bless you". He looked at me and said: "If only you had the power to do so".
I felt chastened by that!
12
@Nancy Manahan Thanks for that. Now I know what to say to the next clergyman who says it.
7
When someone sneezes I usually say bless you. But if that person sneezes 3 or more times, I will then say, "Stop it!" Almost alway gets a big laugh.
1
@bstockler
As someone whose family members tend toward multiple sneezes, I find that response rude. And please don't bless me either. Sneezing is uncomfortable and sometimes alarming to a person unable to control it. Believe me, the last thing we want is to draw attention to ourselves! Much kinder to ignore a sneeze and get your laughs elsewhere.
As a social worker I like the idea that offering blessings upon a sneeze creates an opportunity to connect, especially to strangers...some people may really need that. As a professional actor for over 30 years, I have witnessed many people over the years - while in the middle of a long monologue or at the climax of a scene - sneeze which is then most always followed by a "Bless you!". I find this confounding; with your conditioned response to someone's organic nasal process distracted me and got me in my head, whilst (that's Shakespeare) distracting someone else taking them out of my AMAZING performance. Even when attending shows I hear someone near me sneeze and often from several seats away I will hear a screeching whisper "bless youuuu!". Can theatre's start to include in the pre-show announcement "turn off cell phones, unwrap loud candies, put the produce bags away, and please refrain from offering "bless you's" when someone sneezes because for the next 90 minutes this experience you are about to witness IS NOT ABOUT YOU".
I agree with the beginning of this article, saying "Bless you" or whatever is 100% about the person offering the gesture - a celebration of their moral attendance.
4
I'm an agnostic who still says "Bless you" when someone sneezes, probably ingrained at a very early age by my parents, who believed in good manners. My father always said "Gesundheit", because his parents were German. However, I very quickly learned that that this is a particular American affectation. I spend several weeks renting am apt. in Paris, and realized this isn't a French "tic"-after saying "God Bless you" one or two times on a bus or metro, and receiving bewildered looks (and I said it in French!), I learned-after talking to French friends-that this isn't something the French-or other Europeans-say. It is a reflex for me now, and this article shed some interesting light.
5
@Patou I guess things have changed. I recall the French always saying a te (vous) souhaits.
3
We say gesundheit in my family. When I taught intro ESL, the kids heard it as Sometimes. ‘Sundheit! The kids usually said Salud.
3
Why bless someone after a sneeze but not a cough? Same thing. I ignore both.
18
I have a loud sneeze. And I have seasonal allergies, so I get a lot of bless yous.
I get that people are being polite and it’s fine from strangers, even funny sometimes, as in when a bless you comes from someone in distant room, or outside of the elevator I’m in. What bugs me is when someone in my household does it, or when my business partner says it. I don’t want to say thank you but I feel obligated because I know she wants that thank you. But I’m not appreciative.
It’s funny to me sometimes because im forced to say thank you every time I sneeze. When I was a kid my stepmom was a double sneezer and I found it funny to give her a double bless you. As a little girl taught to say that, I thought I was being polite and cute but later realized how annoyed she was. People with allergies really don’t want to have to say “thank you” for each sneeze.
6
You know, in East Asian cultures at least, no response is given when someone sneezes.
13
My husband frequently says, "Dusty Brains!" which usually makes people laugh.
9
@Asti...that is cute!...I am going to see if I can remember that.
1
@Asti -- I go for "Out ye Demons"
4
From a philological point of view, breath and spirit have a long history of interrelatedness. For the Latin "spiritus" signified wind and breath, as well as soul. So did the Latin "anima," and the Greek "pneuma," the Hebrew "ruach," the Sanskrit "atman," as well as the equivalent words in Arabic, Japanese, and many other languages, including Russian and Swahili. In the beginning the spirit, or breath (ruach) of God moved upon the face of the waters; and after forming man, God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." But God's breath in the Bible could also be a destroying storm (1 Kings 19:11; Ezekiel 13:13), symbolizing the explosion of God's wrath as well as the gift of life or grace. In parallel fashion the Wind Gods of Greek and Roman myth were regarded as destructive, requiring propitiation; but they aslo -- especially the West Wind, "Zephyrus," -- were held to possess an animating power, a fact noted by medieval encyclopedists, and by Chaucer:
Whan Zephyrus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes. . . .
So we may justifiably infer from language and cultural history that a sneeze, being a minor pneumatic explosion, evokes a concern for our spiritual well-being.
13
We decry our social isolation due to technology and there are constant stories about how we are totally unaware of our surroundings or other people because we are staring at our phones. Can’t we just keep our simple little “bless you” to acknowledge that we are with another human being?
17
When a person sneezes they should say ‘excuse me’ and hopefully they have covered their mouth and nose.
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@Devan HARTNETT
Hopefully they have sneezed (or coughed) into their elbow. I learned this from my kids who are taught it at school.
11
My sneezes are loud and many times multiple all the way up to 5. I have no control over these sneezes. Fortunately, when they occur I am home so I do not have to apologize.
1
@Devan HARTNETT I do say excuse me, but I like to have a "bless you" said to me when I do to excuse the social faux pas of sneezing! Sneezing in public is mortifying, even more so under the COVID mask.
When I sneeze, and someone says “God bless you,” I almost feel like asking: “Who are you, the Pope?” Maybe it’s too cynical, I guess.
22
@KLMA yes, too cynical. just accept it as good manners.
14
@KLMA That person has just as much authority as the Pope in that regard. None.
3
@vicki It's not good manners, it's superstition.
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For me saying “God Bless You” or “Bless You” after someone sneezes is just an annoying habit I was taught growing up. I never really understood what it even meant and I actually feel uncomfortable feeling sort of obligated to do this today especially towards strangers. The “Thank You” in response is also annoying. I’d like to rid myself of this and not feel strangely guilty about it.
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I’m glad somebody wrote about this. I’ve decided not to respond when I hear someone sneeze. After all, do we politely acknowledge other bodily sounds: cough, burp, etc? It’s just a vestige of a former time. I agree—let it go. There are other ways to let others know you care.
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A while back I was with an adolescent friend waiting for a bus. I sneezed and she said, "Clothes on tight." I was startled and asked what that was about. She explained that that is what you say when someone sneezes. This ended up being a mini-argument, then humorous, and a lesson about the word "gesundheit." I can only wonder how many other people out there have misheard foreign words and have "translated" them into English.
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It might be based on superstition. I learned somewhere years ago that people said "Bless you!" after a sneeze because that would protect the person sneezing from being possessed by evil spirits. Apparently, one's guard was temporarily dropped right after a sneeze.
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As someone who sometimes suffers from sneezing fits before my daily allergy meds kick in, I find it annoying to have someone (usually a stranger) call attention to the sneezing by saying "bless you" after every...single...sneeze.
No thank you. I don't believe that my soul escapes mu body or that devils rush in when I sneeze, and I bet that the person who says "bless you" believes that either.
It's a silly custom that deserves to die and should not be passed on to children.
Yes, I'm being a grouch, but next time you hear a stranger sneezing, just don't say anything. I bet many of them will thank you for it.
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@Pdxtran right on. I totally agree. Why draw attention to a sneeze?
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@Pdxtran
Grim, but don't worry! Time flies and we'll all be dead sooner than we imagine. Then, you will be delivered from this great burden that life has placed upon you.
In closing, I will withhold the burden of blessing for you, but for other readers, "God bless you in this time of virulent pandemic!"
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@PDXtran Maybe they could roll their eyes at the inconvenience you bestow upon them and simply say, "See a doctor."?
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It has been my understanding that the expression comes from the Book of Genesis in the Bible. In Genesis Chapter 2 God breathes the life-breath into the lump of clay for the creation of adam. When a person sneezes, people believed that you lost the life-giving spirit. So the expression "God Bless you" is asking God to restore the life-giving spirit.
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@Pat Castles So many things that clearly pre-date the bible are attributed to it. I think it's a form of cultural egocentrism.
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My reaction when on line with other strangers, and one sneezes close to me and doesn’t cover their sneeze, is to turn away rapidly in disgust and hold my breath or cover my own face.
I find people who don’t cover their sneezes to be rude.
No blessings offered.
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@Manderine
I find people who don't cover their coughs to be equally rude. Gross!
Apparently i'm in the minority but it annoys me that a simple reflexive body function forces me into a social interaction, either as the sneezer or the blesser. Just let it go, people.
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@tundra but what about my micro-affections??
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@Andy Q. I totes believe in the micro affection part of it. Whenever someone says it to me I feel a brief but instant jumble of joy inside me and it always makes me smile. I don’t say it but it gets said to me, it’s down right awesome. I’ve always felt that way. The superstitious part of it I don’t believe though, but hoping someone continues healthy even if they’re strangers, goes a long way. 😆 my friends and I went to Vegas almost 5 years back and we were walking down the street sneezing to see how many people would say it. It was a really fun game to us.
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@tundra Exactly! Especially as someone who's not religious, i've just stopped saying bless you...
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I sneezed while walking down the south side of East 55th Street a few days ago. A construction worker on a platform two stories up on the north side of the street called out "God bless you!"
He got a thumbs' up from me.
And I liked that all the way across the street someone cared enough to call out. We are still connected.
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@Sconseter in NYC THANK YOU! I say bless you every time I hear someone sneeze, even if the person can't hear me, so I don't expect to be thanked! It's nice to be acknowledged by another human being in a world slowly becoming further detached from connecting with each other in person. It was my understanding that when someone sneezes their heart actually stops for a few seconds, and that is why "I" say bless you! #human #compassion #connection
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Where I live in Southeast Asia--for five years in Cambodia and in Thailand since January--I rarely have noticed any reaction to a sneeze.
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As a young person working in the northwest of Tanzania, I heard a phrase and response always repeated after a sneeze. It was in the local language (not Swahili), so I asked what it meant. I was told that the sneeze was followed by "Be cured" and the response of the sneezer was "All of us." It seemed to me to be a wonderful expression of the spirit of community that I experienced living there in a rural village.
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@marie giblin
Hi Marie, I am from Tanzania, and I am curious as to which region you are in.
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I once read that blessing someone after a sneeze was done because of a belief that the soul temporarily left the body during a sneeze, hence the religiosity of "bless you." I do find it annoying when someone says that after a sneeze.
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"Bless you" has always been a puzzling response to something completely natural that we all do. I never heard it as a child growing up in the South and still don't know how to respond. I assumed it was a religion or superstition based comment. Never said it and never will.
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In Norway we say prosit when someone sneezes. Latin prosit: may it be beneficial, from prodesse to be useful.
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I prefer the German “gesundheit!” It means: “to your health.”
Plus, it sounds like a sneeze!
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@Dr. J In Spanish-speaking countries we say "salud," also meaning "to your health."
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@Dr. J
Perhaps because of my German ancestry, our family has always used the word “Gesundheit”, which has no religous connotations. Yes, it does sound like the sneeze itself.
BTW in German the word should be capitalized like all nouns.
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If you really want to make someone feel better after a sneeze, Seinfeld suggests saying “You’re so good lookin’”. Works for me.
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Expressing words of kindness and care to one and all seems like a good thing to do.
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@priscus After a sneeze I would prefer a tissue to words from strangers.
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Being non-religious, I never say it when someone sneezes. It's actually kind of funny as I can often see the person who sneezed micro-hesitating as they reflexively prepared to reply with the usual "Thank you".
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my wife gets perturbed when I don't say bless you when she sneezes. I forget she says it to her self.
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Possible origin of sneeze blessing:
In a bible story I once read: A child had died and a holy man was called to attempt to restore life to the child.He did so by chanting a prayer while constantly rubbing behind the child's ear.
At the moment of the child's awakening the child sneezed
Custom followed believing the sneeze is a Diety's
sign related to death.OR LIFE
2
As an atheist, I also say gesundheit but I have no problem if someone says God bless you when I sneeze. It just shows that they care at some level even if it is just to be polite. How can one be annoyed by that?
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@Alan I agree. People will find anything to complain about. I am also an atheist, and the idea that others get so worked up about a small social interaction is crazy to me. People have simple and kind intentions when they say bless you, or god bless you, so why must we return it back with such negativity?
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@Alan
I have a friend who is so anti-faith that he goes virtually ballistic if wished "God Bless You". It's quite sad that he cannot just accept the well wishes while ignoring the implications there's a God involved. He's been quite cruel in criticizing those who dare offer a blessing. It goes beyond sneezes. A friend his girlfriend whom he was helping (an older, frail woman with health issues) thanked him with a "God Bless You" and he went off on a tirade on her and nearly destroyed her relationship with his partner. In general, he is a kind, caring person but religion is his trigger in any form. Even just a simple "God Bless You" after a sneeze.
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@Alan
I get annoyed by the automatic way people propagate superstitious rituals. And by feeling coerced into following social rules that don't make sense to me.
I still say "bless you" because that's what's required socially to "be polite", but on the inside I'm rolling my eyes at the silly little rituals we humans are always inventing (that seem to me be designed as subtle social "tests" to demarcate who has in-group status and who doesn't).
The few times I've sneezed on the train and someone has said "God bless you," I feel oddly gratified, as if I am among civilized people after all.
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It's a nice reminder of our species-memory that events such as plagues or horrible diseases sometimes began with a simple sneeze or cough.
And then there's that common bruise or petty ache that turns out to be an incurable cancer. Imploring a blessing by a divinity is only one way that the net effect of "knocking on wood" is achieved.
The human condition doesn't get acknowledged in a charitable way very often in daily life -- at least not recognizably as such. I like it.
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Micro-affections. We could all used more of these.
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It's disruptive during meetings when multiple people respond with "bless you" when someone sneezes. Almost as if it's a competition for first response.
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@ejonatha Most meetings could use some sort of disruption! ;-)
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Who cares. It’s a bit levity! Bless you.
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