Blessing Should Be Outlawed

[Celeb Obsessed]

Seriously, can't anyone sneeze in peace??? I had to hold in so many good sneezes because I was afraid that people would bless me. And when strangers do it, it's even worse because it's unexpected. The reason I'm more comfortable with sneezing around strangers is because they usually don't say anything. But when they do say "bless you", I want to smack them.

I say we start an anti-blessing precedent. Let's tell everyone that blessing started out as a superstition and needs to die out. People should be allowed to sneeze and be left alone.

[Guest Tootsie2008]

I totally hear you on that! I hate sneezing in public because I don't like being blessed, and I don't like blessing people, either. It feels so unnatural, and then people often get offended if you don't do so.

I'll be the first to sign!!!

[Healer]

Me too, but I find if freakier if family do it <shudders>

[Celeb Obsessed]

Freaking hilarious!

[zneeze]

Interesting. I wonder if more of us out there feel the same way you do?

I personally love being blessed (by lady friends only, no family thank you) and I've read outside of the forum about people who absolutely hate not being blessed by someone near them. But you raise a good point, so I'm wondering if anyone else around here feels the same way.

[ID2006]

nooooooooooooooooooo....blessing outlawed...........please no. However, outlawing family blessings, that I could go for (obviously not in reference to SO's).

[shy guy]

Sorry, guys, I'm totally pro blessing, from both the giving and receiving ends. My feeling is that blessings should be given freely and accepted graciously, but not be expected. I love it when I get blessed, but I'm not offended when I don't get blessed. Oh well, to each his own I guess.

[Guest )Swing(]

I'm fairly certain excessive bless-you-ism (my mum and dad have always been over-enthusiastic on the subject) was one of the main causes of me attaining the desire to not sneeze in public.

Always hated being bless-you-ed. And haven't been since I was about 11, 'cos I don't sneeze in public any more.

[Shining Light]

Of course the problem is that some people are raised to bless as a courtesy, just like holding a door or letting women go first for no reason. You've gotta get out there and ask not to be blessed I'd have thought if you really don't want it to happen.

I rarely get blessed, but I bless people unless they've stifled (because presumeably they don't want attention drawn to it). Unless it was a funny stifle or was insanely hot...

[Guest Tootsie2008]

OMG LOL that is awesome!

[Niceguy]

I do bless people, but only because society tells me to. (Courtesy.) Personaly I think it's a pretty silly superstition, and I'd just as soon do away with it as well.

Why don't we have some equally silly ritural after someone burps/coughs/farts/yawns/etc...? Half of THOSE we expect the person to apologize for, but SNEEZE (and spread germs) and you get a BLESSING? WTF?!

LOL - I was just thinking about how someone would feel having to BLESS someone else who just filled the room with a really, rancid eggy-smelling fart. Something tells me "Burn in hell!" might be closer to the truth! I had a roomate in college who's farts regularly caused people to "take the lord's name in vain," but I digress.

[resolution]

I thought the site was largely pro-Bless you. There have been a number of threads on how wonderful receiving and giving Bless yous are. A few members even mentioned even inducing just to get blessed.

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

I bless people unless they've stifled (because presumeably they don't want attention drawn to it).

Note: emphasis mine.

See, THIS is how it should be done, to me: if someone--me, for example, but anyone--is clearly attempting to NOT draw attention to hirself with hir sneeze, WHY would you bless hir, essentially announcing to everyone around hir "THIS PERSON JUST SNEEZED!" I stifle my sneezes for good reason: yes, because it's neater that way, but also because I DON'T want attention to be drawn to my sneeze (though, y'know, if I KNEW the person noticing it was a fetishist, that would be different...I think).

But that's just all my not-so-humble opinion.

~Me

[Brittney]

I don't feel that way. Unless it's family members. Yuck!

[Vetinari]

I was brought up in a family that just didn't bless. In the UK it's not compulsory. I would hate to live somewhere where not blessing was considered rude because I just don't enjoy blessing people. It feels unnatural.

[DaylightStarr]

Man, I always hated being blessed. Even when I was a kid, it got on my nerves.

[count tiszula]

Well, not unnaturally, I am all in favour of blessing. Living in the UK where it is optional but not completely mad, it seems to me a fantastic opportunity to initiate sneezy talk if one is so inclined; moreover it is a safe way of possibly getting someone to comment on their own sneeze without seeming suspicious. It would have to be a very odd situation where I would bless a stranger, but it is conceivable. By contrast, if I didn't generally have a mental block anyway, it would seem odd to me if any stranger except a batty old woman blessed me. Certainly I can never get my head around all this "The whole class/hall/regiment /the teacher/lecturer/senator blessed me" stuff. It just never happens here to my knowledge.

And as for " I sneezed in my exam and a couple three girls whispered a blessing", I think it would be assumed here that serious cheating was going on. The proctor would be like hay.

[Demosthenes]

It seems that there is a growing trend of people who can't stand "blessing." I on the other hand can't stand "people who can't stand blessing." I guess that means I'm not Pro-blessing, I'm Pro-"who-cares-shut-up!"

I obviously don't think blessing is a necessity, or even something that should be done often; but really, it's no big deal. Whether someone says "bless you" or not doesn't really have any bearing on our lives, or anything for that matter So, to those people who are continuously wishing that people would stop blessing, understand this: People (particularly strangers) aren't going to change the way they act just because some little thing they do bugs you. The less we care about things that don't matter in the slightest, the better off for everyone.

The best kind of empathy is apathy.

Note: I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings with this post. Just try to take it as advice.

[ImStillNotHere]

I guess I'm just different (no surprise there. LOL). I love blessing others and I really really really love being blessed.

The other day, I sneezed 3 times and my best friend in life (and major crush in life), waited until I was finished and he said "Bless you, bless you, and *pause* BLESS YOU!". I nearly exploded.

*sigh*

But it seems that I'm one of the few who would enjoy that type of thing.

Josey

[The Dude]

I obviously don't think blessing is a necessity, or even something that should be done often; but really, it's no big deal. Whether someone says "bless you" or not doesn't really have any bearing on our lives, or anything for that matter So, to those people who are continuously wishing that people would stop blessing, understand this: People (particularly strangers) aren't going to change the way they act just because some little thing they do bugs you. The less we care about things that don't matter in the slightest, the better off for everyone.

QFT

[sneezedreamer]

I enjoy blessing and being blessed quite a bit (with the exception of blessings from family members - which rarely happens with my family, thankfully). I had a lot of friends in high school and college who blessed others, and now I bless most people outside of family members that I know. Strangers, on the other hand, I almost never bless. I don't really care if people don't bless me, or if people don't respond to my blessing. And I agree, it is kind of a silly tradition, but I think it's pretty cute and generally awesome when people bless, so no way am I in favor of outlawing.

I'm wondering, if those of you who dislike blessing, perhaps dislike sneezing yourself in general? Because while I used to feel uncomfortable about being blessed, I got over it several years ago....when I really admitted to myself that I enjoyed sneezing, even in front of others. To those of you who don't like blessing...I suppose you could politely tell friends and coworkers not to bother blessing them because you think it's silly/pointless, but like Demosthenes, I think people should try to relax a little more about this. Yeah, people noticed if you sneezed, and it might have made you a little uncomfortable for a second...but the world isn't going to stop turning or anything.

[scent]

Seriously, can't anyone sneeze in peace??? I had to hold in so many good sneezes because I was afraid that people would bless me. And when strangers do it, it's even worse because it's unexpected. The reason I'm more comfortable with sneezing around strangers is because they usually don't say anything. But when they do say "bless you", I want to smack them.

I say we start an anti-blessing precedent. Let's tell everyone that blessing started out as a superstition and needs to die out. People should be allowed to sneeze and be left alone.

I disagree. I feel, with the way the world is today, with everything that's going on, people are in need of blessings. I see nothing wrong with saying,' Bless You' or even 'God Bless You' to anyone.

[Mf1611]

I think some people get embarrassed when they are blessed cause its recognition that u sneeze then people start holding back there sneezes cause they don't want to be noticed

[Celeb Obsessed]

I'm wondering, if those of you who dislike blessing, perhaps dislike sneezing yourself in general? Because while I used to feel uncomfortable about being blessed, I got over it several years ago....when I really admitted to myself that I enjoyed sneezing, even in front of others. To those of you who don't like blessing...I suppose you could politely tell friends and coworkers not to bother blessing them because you think it's silly/pointless, but like Demosthenes, I think people should try to relax a little more about this. Yeah, people noticed if you sneezed, and it might have made you a little uncomfortable for a second...but the world isn't going to stop turning or anything.

No, I LOVE sneezing, which is the problem. I sneeze rarely enough as it is, but when I'm around people I know, I have to hold my sneezes in, which I hate doing.

You're right that the world won't stop turning, and I'd be able to live with it if people blessed me and then got on with life...which is the case 99.9% of the time. But then there's that awful 0.1% chance that they'll do something worse, like talk about your sneeze, imitate it, say that it's cute, make fun of it, etc. And that, I wouldn't be able to endure. It's almost the equivalent of discussing how good I am in bed.

This is probably why some fetishists hate blessing: because it's an acknowledgment of something that is sexual to them.

[blndeangeloflve]

I am totally pro-blessing and pro-being blessed. Agreed that I dont much care for family doing it, but whatever. It is what it is. I wouldn't get offended if someone did or did not say it, but I totally love when guys bless. I just think its hot. Demonsth....loved your post. Thank you.