Left-Handedness appears to be an aberration rather than the norm even though the left-handed tennis champions have included Martina Navratilova John McEnroe Rod Laver Ann Haydon Jones Jimmy Connors and Roscoe Tanner.
When we affirm something we say “right”. If something is correct it is “right” An indispensable assistant is a “right hand man”. A compliment with a Sting is “left-handed’.
But those with this “handicap” have imagination intuition and feelings. They share it with Leonardo da Vinci Charlie Chaplin Paul McCartney Picasso Prince Charles Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe. All of them were left-handers in a predominantly right-handed world
To the left-handed the world seems a funny place indeed says The Guardian of London. Check book stubs are on the wrong side. Everyday appliances from irons to scissors and from cameras to car phones are designed for right-handed people.
Since left handers cannot use some of this equipment they are marked down for clumsiness and ineptitude They get no sympathy King George VI was forced to write with his right hand and developed a stammer and a few other emotional problems.
Anew book “Living Left Handed” by Left-hander Dianeg Paul says 10 to 15 per cent of our population is left-handed But lefthanders receive a bad press. Good people sit on the right-hand side of God. In many countries the words for left carry unattractive connotations.
In fact left-handedness is caused by a mild degree of brain aberration at birth. More boys than girls are left handed. Nearly five per cent of fetuses show a preference for the left thumb while thumb-sucking in the womb. But “left-handedness” continues to be an enigma to science even though lefthanders are gifted original creative and intuitive. Perhaps they should leave mundane jobs to the right-handed people and get on with playing tennis and indulging their imaginations in creative brilliance.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 15, 1991
