Left Handed Story

As a kid I was silently proud of being a left hander (I am still today!), particularly because my father often told me that Prince William is also a left hander. As a four year old kid that meant a lot; it meant you shared something in common with the Royal Prince of the United Kingdom thousand miles away. With just 10 to 13% of the world population being left handed, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that being a leftie has something unique associated with it.

But it wasn’t always so. In the past being left handed wasn’t considered cool or even good as it is today. Some of the very awful things have being associated with the left hand from devil to being abnormal. Now, thanks to science we know that choosing the left is absolutely normal. Science admits that there’s no straight answer to why some people choose their left hand as their dominant hand, and forcing kids to change their dominant hand has its share of consequences. It is perhaps a complex choice that the wires inside our little head make.

And not to forget the long list of left handers (from Bills Gates to Paul McCarthy) who have done exceptionally well, that being left handed has become a sign of creativity (science doesn’t really have proof that left handed people are more creative than right handed people).  To the other side of the story left handers have a higher risk of brain disorders (many sociopaths are left handers!). Seems like we’re on the extreme of both the poles!

Whatever be the science behind, enjoy your left handness! It’s a beautiful mystery of the brain and we’re part of it! It just feels good to be yourself now, doesn’t it?

And by the way did you know that GRRM’s beloved character Arya Stark is left handed? Also that you can play the piano single handedly with your left hand (notations have been written for the left handed players something I came to know about through Sidney Sheldon’s novel The Stars Shine Down). Also left handers have an upper hand in tennis (reminds me of Rafael Nadal-another Southpaw addition to the list!)

August 13 is the International Left Handers Day. Southpaws unite!

(Image from theurbanpolitico.com)