Life as a lefty is no cakewalk at all
Print Edition
IF you are part of the 90 percent of people in this world who were born right-handed, you most likely haven’t considered the extent of the advantage you possess over all left-handers.
Right-biases range from simple tools like pens, pencil sharpeners, rulers, scissors, door handles, musical instruments, and cooking utensils, to common rules like traveling on the right side of the road, and shaking hands.
As a lefty, adapting to this right-handed world has put me in some pretty awkward situations starting from my early school years. I have found myself scoping-out seating arrangements at tables to avoid elbowing anyone, dealing with school desks that forced me to contort into neck-cramp-inducting positions, having to learn how to avoid smearing ink all over my paper and hands, being told in PE to “do the same thing but opposite,” teaching myself how to tie my shoes, getting teachers who wanted to teach me how to write “properly” … The list goes on!
Lefties have been stigmatized since some of the earliest civilizations such as ancient Greece. They’ve also been disgraces linguistically — in fact, the word “left” itself derives from the Anglo-Saxon word “lyft,” meaning “weak.” In Mandarin, the adjective “left” (左) sometimes signifies “improper” or “out of accord.”
There has always been a lot said about us — myths, theories, scientific facts … For years, people have wondered about the occurrence of left-handedness. The aura that surrounds this topic is almost mystical.
Although sometimes it feels as if this world wasn’t quite made for me, being a lefty definitely has its perks; I see things from a different perspective as everyone else, it’s a great conversation starter, and there’s even a day dedicated to this minority (August 13th)!
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