Much Ado about NOTHING

A lot of people around me have been sneezing lately. Inevitably, whenever someone sneezes, someone will say -- or several people will say -- "bless you." I even say it myself sometimes, following a strange compulsion that's based on... what? Superstition? Manners? Herd mentality?

Apparently, the tradition of saying "bless you" whenever someone sneezes dates back to the (idiotic medieval) idea that one's soul escapes in the sneeze, or is, at the very least, in danger of doing so. And somehow saying "bless you" prevents that from happening in some paranormal way.

But we're living in the 21st century. My new year's resolution is not to mechanically say "bless you" several times a day. If I feel irresistibly tempted to do so, I'll say an old-fashioned gesundheit instead. (I think that means "bless you" or "good health" in German, but at least it's different and sounds retro cool.)