~SNEEZES~.... Bless you... ~GROWL~

[TeaDidikai]

It's a common phrase. Bless you.

The historical conotation aside (I do not wish to be covered with blood every time I sneeze), members of the pagan scene who know me think I am being snarky when I ask "by whom?".

I'm not. I do not welcome random blessings from gods I wish nothing to do with.

(Case in point- an Odin's Godhi blessed me by Frey last weekend... and tonight my birthcontrol failed- thrice over evil )

So- is this mostly a neo-pagan misconception? Do strangers think they know better about what you need in your life than your gods and yourself do?

What about Recons? Does their tradition trump what you want for yourself?

(Yes- this is a mild rant. On well- not like anyone here expects me to be anything other than random.)

So- does offering blessings in a casual way infringe on other's spiritual well being? Does your tradition demand you act a blessing upon an unwilling person?

Does anyone know how long the spermicide in your average condom lasts?

Ummm... yeah. So there.

Edit: Note I get just as annoyed by people who say "Blessed Be" at me as I do by anyone else who uses such sloppy Will.  

[TatteredAngel]

My first slightly pithy answer is that in the case of sneezing, "bless you" is such a cultural fixture, religious meaning has vanished from it for most people. And as such a cultural fixture, even if you're aware of why you might not want to say it, it's really hard to untrain yourself to something else.

But that's the pithy part. Outside of that, I really see no reason to go around with a Father Knows Best attitude in their blessings. Part of the problem is that there are the casual and frequently empty words that are tossed out because they're considered in some way to be a politeness or a cute way to say things. Like "blessed be," and such. Sometimes, the intent is there, a lot of the time, it's tossed off without thinking. Whether the intent matters or not may be debatable, my personal stance is that if no actual thought is really given to what's being said, it kind of fizzles, since the input is so low.

Either way, it's problematic. You say they think you're being snarky, and to them, it may well seem that way. That you're just being irritable rather than having a valid concern. And I guess the only way to call attention to it is for more people to say "hold on" and explain those concerns.

And if pieces of this are stupid or make no sense, I'm sorry, I just now realized how tired I am.  

[CuAnnan]

When I say "Bless you", I am not passing on the Blessing of Random.deity()
I am placing my own blessing upon you which you can then take or leave.  

[Pelta]

This is why I say "Gesundheit." ninja

TeaDidikai

Does anyone know how long the spermicide in your average condom lasts?

Erm. Morning after pill? confused  

[maenad nuri]

check the expiration date on the condom package-if that's expired, bet that the spermicides expired.

I honestly don't think about it. Yeah, Blessed Be gets on my nerves. But Bless you? Until theres a deity in front of it, I take it like Reagun does-a personal blessing and moreover, something you say that has very little meaning anymore.  

[Aesi]

"Bless you" is my personal wish for someone's well-being. Some random person in the library probably feels just as miserable as I do while sickness is hanging around. So I can't -not- wish them well when they sneeze or cough. Because I'd hope for some fleeting compassion, too.  

[Sevendreams]

Long ago, I used to say it because my family required it, along with "God" before it.

Eventually I weened them off of making me say "God" and shortened it to "Bless you."

Recently, I've only been saying it out of habit, as if there is a sound vacuum after a sneeze that I must rush to fill with "Bless you," but it is otherwise meaningless.

I am presently quitting this habit. I have decided it holds no meaning for me, and it annoys me feeling obligated to thank people for it, so why should I do it to others? Also, one interpretation of it that turns me off is the thought of blessing or being blessed for spreading disease.

Okay, maybe I've thought about it too much. But I r stop teh bless youz.  

[Kuroiban]

I've considered a generic well-wish for the better portion of my life. Sort of a truncated version of "I hope you don't have a horrific disease" or something similiar.

As for "Blessed be"....I have mixed feelings about that one. I tend to see a lot of fluffies use it as a means of saying "look how Christian we aren't!". Blah.

Then again, I tend to have a dim view on human beings in generel. sweatdrop  

[Pelta]

I have the sniffles. I'm allergic to the house I went a-wandering to.

And I heard someone say that the original "Bless you" came from people saying "God Bless you for you may be a witch!" when people sneezed. But then again the source I have on that is a bit scatterbrained so I'll have to hear it from someone who isn't Cap'n Carrot before I'll believe it fully.  

[Fiddlers Green]

I often use Gesunheit...
Which, until I learned Deutsch, I was convinced was Gaysontight... which confused me greatly. xd

On the rare occassion where I will say Bless you, it is a shortened form of May the Blessings of Heaven be upon You.
Which is me petitioning Anhur or any of the Ameshaspand who may be watching at the moment to remove the taint of illness from the person, or prevent it from encroaching upon them. This is a rare occassion. I'm not quite on the terms where I have much right to expect my voice to carry far into the Bright Court.

As I no longer hold a Priesthood in an organization which uses directed Gnosis based healing, I will not attempt to intone a direct blessing myself.  

[Pelta]

Fiddlers Green

I often use Gesunheit...
Which, until I learned Deutsch, I was convinced was Gaysontight...

xd Oooh I'm so saying that to Wing next time he sneezes!  

[VisasMarr]

I have always had issues with people saying "Bless you" after I sneeze, or after someone else sneezes. This is not because of any religious connotations it has (because I honestly did not think about that until a few years ago). I was raised by very non-religious parents (though they will claim that they are "Catholic"), and well, I guess I was raised in a bit of a bubble. Many english (not British) phrases, and colloquialisms, idoms and what not are totally lost on me. I didn't even hear the phrase "Bless you" until I was 15 years old (I think).
I guess I have just never understood why it is nessasary to say anything after someone sneezes.

As for "blessing" someone just off hand like that... That seems a little strange to me. Maybe if it was used in conjunction with a greeting or parting of a friend or loved one.. But to say something like "May [Some Diety] Bless you" for no reason (except that you sneezed) just seems kind of rude to me. Though I am not untirely sure why. *shrug*  

[Kalyani Srijoi]

Hell, I don't know. Do gods really pay attention to words of blessing when there's no actual intent behind it? I mean, I use 'God bless you' even though I don't believe in God, just because it's what I've been taught to say.

I mean, considering the number of times people say 'Bless you,' you'd think that they'd get the picture and kind of cut out some of the extras, you know? Get a secretary to trash all the requests for blessings after a sneeze.  

[TeaDidikai]

Ban Triste-chan!

Hell, I don't know. Do gods really pay attention to words of blessing when there's no actual intent behind it? I mean, I use 'God bless you' even though I don't believe in God, just because it's what I've been taught to say.

I mean, considering the number of times people say 'Bless you,' you'd think that they'd get the picture and kind of cut out some of the extras, you know? Get a secretary to trash all the requests for blessings after a sneeze.

Wouldn't that depend on the god?

I am not sure who I get to blame for my little slip up with my husband.

Maybe Frey... maybe Loki.  

[Kalyani Srijoi]

TeaDidikai

Ban Triste-chan!

Hell, I don't know. Do gods really pay attention to words of blessing when there's no actual intent behind it? I mean, I use 'God bless you' even though I don't believe in God, just because it's what I've been taught to say.

I mean, considering the number of times people say 'Bless you,' you'd think that they'd get the picture and kind of cut out some of the extras, you know? Get a secretary to trash all the requests for blessings after a sneeze.

Wouldn't that depend on the god?

I am not sure who I get to blame for my little slip up with my husband.

Maybe Frey... maybe Loki.

Canada.