In Other Words...

Hey, it turns out I am! In my right mind, that is. My mother-in-law said so.  See, I am left-handed. So was my mother-in-law. 

 So is my best friend Elaine, several of my cousins, my little great-nephew Jack, and  roughly 10-12                      percent of the global population. (If you’re counting, that means the remaining 87% is right-handed, a decided majority, and the left-over 1% are ambidextrous.) 

Apparently, the popular belief that lefties are "right-brained" is largely a myth. Most of us process language in the left hemisphere of their brain—the exact same way right-handed people do. Some of  us process language in both hemispheres of our brains. 

I was always a lefty. Or, to use the popular term from the sporting world, where lefties tend to excel, a “southpaw.” (I am not athletic. I am a proud professional klutz. Another column for another time.) “Southpaw” refers to a left-handed pitcher. In boxing, a southpaw is a fighter who leads with his left. 

We’re in good company. Four recent U.S. Presidents were left-handed: Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Other notable U.S. presidents who were left-handed include Ronald Reagan and James A. Garfield.

From history, military genius Alexander the Great, Leonardo da Vinci, physicist Albert Einstein, and Sir Isaac Newton were left-handed.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is left-handed.

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal is naturally right-handed but learned to play tennis left-handed to gain a competitive edge. Baseball icon Babe Ruth was a famous left-hander.

Sir Paul McCartney of The Beatles is left-handed and famously plays a left-handed bass. Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and David Bowie were left-handed. Jimi Hendrix supposedly played his right-handed Fender upside down. Actors Keanu Reeves, Angelina Jolie, and  Morgan Freeman, comedians Charlie Chaplin and Harpo Marx, and Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro is left-handed. So is Oprah Winfrey. 

In popular culture, Darth Vader wields his lightsaber with his left hand. The Marvel villain Thanos is left-handed, wearing the Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand. And in Despicable Me, the character Gru is left-handed.

Not bad huh? 

We lefties are generally speaking, a creative bunch.  We’re also a competitive bunch. Scientists say it’s because we’re in the minority and have to navigate a right-handed world. And let’s face it: it is a right-handed world. Although annoying, most of us are able to adapt to minor inconveniences, and enjoy the aspects of our left-handedness that make us unique and fascinating individuals. 

Lefties have often been misunderstood. Left handed school children were, until recently, punished for using their left hands. Lefties were accused of  witchcraft in the Middle Ages, left-handedness was seen by some as a sign of connection to the devil. Even the word for “left” has negative connotations: In Latin, sinister, translates to unlucky, evil, and suspicious. In French gauche means awkward or clumsy.  Some historical linguists suggest the English word "left" derives from the Anglo-Saxon word lyft, meaning weak or broken. 

There are all sorts of taboos surrounding the left hand and using the left hand that I won’t go into here.  The ancient Greeks  considered it it unlucky,  Asian and Middle Eastern cultures consider eating with the left hand highly disrespectful. But… in the Inca and Zuni civilizations think we’re pretty cool . So it all balances out. 

God made us all to be uniquely gifted, challenged, motivated. I think he made lefties to  provide a little variety and bring creativity into the world. He made  us to remind the majority of you to be adaptable. Differences are not bad. They’re special. 

Power to the lefties. We’re the few. We’re the proud. We’re in our right minds!