Being a leftie in a right-handed world

It is not an ordinary thing to be born a leftie to a world unanimously designed for right-handers. Belonging to that privileged lot of 15 per cent of the world population and surviving amidst everything decided for the rest of the 85 per cent make the southpaws deserve the attention they demand from the world on August 13, World Left Handers’ Day.
The day was first celebrated in 1976, by the US based Left-handers’ International which was able to win ‘holiday status’ for August 13 in America. Today, it is celebrated right round the globe, bringing thousands of lefthanders to one shade and providing them with the opportunity of sharing their bittersweet anecdotes.
Living a left-hander’s life in the right-handers’ world is by no means an easy task. A study conducted in 1991 by a set of European scientists showed that the average lifespan of a lefthander was nine years less than that of a right-hander. They revealed that the reason for the difference was mainly the accidents caused in using the equipment designed for right-handers.
The so-called enmity against the southpaws goes back to the times of sun worship. Primitive man lived in the Northern hemisphere, saw the sun appearing from the right and disappearing from the left. So, the left was attributed to negativity, evil and darkness.
Even today, adapting to the right-handers’ ways or adapting to the right-hand are the two options any left-hander has to choose from. In the past however, most parents, fearing their children would be looked down upon by society forced them to forget about their left-handedness and get used to the right hand. This hand prejudice was not only prevalent in Western countries, but it was also a part of Eastern culture. This bias was evident in Britain in the 18th century until the phenomena took to a relaxed tide in the later decades of the 20th century.
Left-handedness does not necessarily mean writing with the left-hand; but it means a whole lot more. A recent study conducted by the psychologist Daniel Casasanto, shows that left-handers do think differently and show exceptional skills in problem solving. Chris McManus of University College London in his book ‘Right-Hand, Left-Hand’ points out that “the left-handed people as a group have historically produced an above-average quota of high achievers.” He also says that the brains of the lefties are structured in a unique way that widens their range of thinking and abilities. Genealogists, towards the latter part of the 20th century, discovered that the genes that determine left-handedness also develop the language centres of the brain.
Scientists say the brains of the lefties process information using a "visual simultaneous" method, in which several threads can be processed simultaneously. On the other hand, the right-handers use the linear sequential processing style to process information. The effect of these differing styles of processing is that right-handers need to complete one task before starting the next. Left-handers, by contrast, are capable and comfortable switching between tasks. This gifts them with an excellent ability to multi-task, and at the same time make them smarter and more creative than the rest!
In analyzing matters too, right-handers use the method "analysis": a way of solving a problem by breaking it down to pieces and analyzing one piece at a time. By contrast, left-handers use "synthesis", the method of solving a problem by looking at it as a whole and trying to solve it.
Society and conventions were not the only forces that mistreated the southpaws. Language too misread left-handedness. The terms, which are used to describe the lefthanders in any language, carry metaphorical meanings associated with pessimism and evil. The word ‘sinister’,often used to describe a leftie, comes from the Latin term ‘sinistra’ meaning evil. The French use ‘gauche’ to describe the left-side and its ‘faux amie’ in English means vulgar or tactless. Even some of the idioms that are used in day-to-day life carry a sense of intimidation against the lefties. For example, the English expression "having two left feet" and the French expression "avoir deux mains gauches" mean being clumsy.
Despite the teasing and the cold towels constantly thrown at them, the lefties have been involved in a never-ending quest to surprise the world with their amazing abilities. It was a left-hander who solved the mystery behind an apple falling earthward. It was a left-hander who unveiled the Theory of Relativity and became the scientist of the 20th century and it was a left-hander who sketched the Mona Lisa, the most famous piece of art which was stolen the most number of times in history.
The list beginning with Sir Isaac Newton, Einstein, Da Vinci and Chaplin will continue to flow, getting many golden names added to the tide such as that of President Obama, a welcome change much looked forward by hundreds and thousands of people. So, can anyone in a right-mind belittle the leftie-power? No wonder, all those righties are left-minded!
So, here’s my left-hand shake and the friendly kiss on the left cheek for every southpaw celebrating ‘our’ day. Let’s rock the world!