It’s just a sneeze. A normal, run-of-the-mill sneeze. So why had sneezing become such a cause for unease? Simple, I live in Japan.
Many of us live in countries where people say things like “bless you” after someone sneezes. Could be your wife or husband, your best friend, or even a complete stranger — but this response is so ingrained into us from a young age that we say it without a second thought. Not only that, but we also expect to hear it after our sinuses clear themselves. And while we might believe it to be a common courtesy that all humans participate in, the people in Japan follow no such custom.
I’m not sure if you can imagine how it might feel not to hear someone say “bless you” or even the German “gesundheit,” but for me it was quite unnerving — almost like an itch that lies just beyond your reach in the middle of your back. At first I thought that maybe the Japanese people around me just hadn’t noticed my thunderous blast. But as time went on, it became clear to me that something was amiss. Their silence soon became one of those “inexcusable violations” that can annoy any sane person.
So what’s the BIG insight from all this? It is this: that the little things count just as much as the big things — sometimes even more. If one stops saying “thank you” to his or her spouse for making a delicious meal, or forgets to congratulate someone on a job well done, the emptiness is felt. The person who failed to speak up may not perceive the error, but rest assured, one has been committed.
So in answer to the title question “Is no blessing a curse?” I believe the answer to be “yes.” No blessing just might end up being a curse — a curse to the relationship and to good-will. For if something so simple as not saying “bless you” after a sneeze can create a feeling of uneasiness, just think about what ill-feelings smolder below the surface when we forget to say “thank you,” “good job,” or even “I love you.”