How many times a day do we offer a "bless you" to someone who sneezes? To be honest on most occasions I would rather stay quiet. When someone sneezes repeatedly, no doubt there will be someone in the room who will offer a one obligated "bless you" after the other only to be met with an exhausted "thank you" from the sneezer.
Why do we offer a "bless you" after a sneeze? "God bless you" has seemed to fallen out of fashion. Perhaps because not all believe in God. However, we maintain tradition because otherwise we'd feel ackward and impolite.
There have been occasions in which I've been in a room with several individuals and I would allow the others to announce the "bless you" towards the sneezer. But if I were alone with someone who sneezed you can bet I would feel pressured to utter "bless you".
History states that stating "God bless you" after a sneeze was meant to protect the person who sneezed as the belief was that a person's soul may be temporarily expelled and therefore vulnerable to Satan.
Some felt a sneeze was the explusion of Satan within a person and "bless you" was stated in attempt to keep the devil from re-entering.
Others felt that that the heart would temporarily stop when one sneezed and "bless you" was uttered in attempts to protect the person.
I'm sure there are many other explanation out there. The above explanations are obviously ludicrous and yet to this day we continue to offer blessings upon someone who sneezes.
Dare we start a revolutions against the "bless yous?" I don't know if I'm that brave.
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