Why do we still have to bless people when they sneeze?
What possible reason, in today’s society, keeps this practice alive as a binding social mandate?
Is this still considered a brush with death?
Are we still operating under the theory that my soul briefly exits through my nostrils?
It’s time for this social obligation to die.
You sneeze, and now I’m legally obligated to acknowledge it.
A blessing? What am I, the pope?
Did I just get off the phone with the big man upstairs? “He says you’re clear. Carry on.”
When I sneeze in public, I’m not worried about my health. I’m embarrassed. It’s not cute. I don’t care what your boyfriend says. It’s a bodily malfunction.
And some of you? The volume. Let’s address it.
No one accidentally sounds like the Incredible Hulk at 9:35 am. That is a choice. A seismic event. Papers move. Birds migrate. And then you just sit back down like you didn’t trigger a minor evacuation.
If it’s you, reflect. Adjust. Grow.
Or at minimum, stand up and apologize. Remain standing for ten minutes. Think about what you’ve done.
We have to have decency in America.
