Coming of Age in a Politically Tumultuous World

A personal anecdote by Jaanu

It occurred to me first when my friend sneezed loudly. “God bless you,” I said absently, rummaging in my bag for something.

“Thanks,” said he, straightening up and wiping his nose. “Haven’t heard that in a while. People normally just say, ‘bless you.’ Political!”

“What?” I asked, disinterested.

“You said ‘God Bless You’- I didn’t realize you were religious. It’s cool, though, I respect it.”

It never occurred to me that saying “God bless you” could be construed politically in any way. Until college, as I’ve written about before, it didn’t occur to me that many people my age considered themselves atheists. While religion has always been a part of my life and has shaped my character, it hasn’t, for the most part, affected my views on policy or governance. When I’m at college, I do miss the atmosphere of home and that of my Catholic high school where faith and a service-driven attitude influenced decisions and ideas. However, these ideas have never pushed me towards one political ideology or another. It’s fascinating that certain topics or activities are so clearly designated as representative of political views. While I don’t believe this is always the case, I am curious about why and how these ideas are so rooted in our public consciousness. 🧐