People aren’t perfect, in my opinion no one is born a “good person,” nor is anyone born destined to be a “bad person.” You naturally have a mix of both in you and you can never fully rid yourself of either side. You do, however, have the power to decide which side will, in a sense, run your life. You have to motivate yourself to let your good side win out, and I can’t tell you how to do that. Although, I’m going to tell you how I have gotten started.

My friends, both at home and at school, and family find it strange – and at times embarrassing – that I say, “Bless you” every time I hear someone sneeze. Sometimes I have to interrupt myself, or my professor, during class presentations, sometimes the person who sneezed is walking by me and their music is so loud they don’t even hear me, sometimes I’m in a different country or a language class and I have to look up how to say it in that language, leaving my gesture very delayed. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, I will always say it, it’s rather simple to me, if I’m in a room where I don’t know anyone and I sneeze, I still expect someone to bless me.

The vernacular term “bless you” is actually short for “G-d bless you,” some say that the phrase acts as a protection against evil. It was believed that when you sneeze you’re at risk of your soul being thrown from your body and an evil presence replacing it, the blessing saves your soul. I don’t really believe any of this to be honest, but, I do think that the saying has a sort of magic to it.

In the secular world that we live in today it’s hard to assume that people really think that my soul will be replaced by the devil if I sneeze without getting blessed. So, why do we continue this tradition? Blessing someone after they sneeze has become an act of chivalry, a common courtesy, and a simple way to act polite. That is why I will say, “bless you” to a random stranger in a large, silent, lecture hall in the middle of an exam if I hear a sneeze. I want to be polite and I think everyone deserves this small act of kindness.

My biggest goal in life is to do everything I can to be a good person. I don’t believe that anyone in the world is born as someone who is fully good and does not have the ability to be bad. I believe that the first step to becoming a good person by habit is saying, “Bless you” whenever I hear a sneeze. Being polite in my everyday routine and going out of my way to demonstrate my politeness will remind me to go out of my way to be a good person.

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking that I’m insane, something so small can’t really make a difference. Give it a try; I’m sure you’ll change your mind. Next time you’re in the quiet car of a train, on the silent floor of the library, in the middle of an important speech, and you hear a sneeze, take the second to say, “Bless you.” Go out of your way for self-improvement and try to be a good person.