A gift, not an affliction

I find it hard to understand why many right handers think being left handed is some kind of handicap. Yes, we have to adapt and survive in a world that's not designed for us, but I see it as a gift - not an affliction.

Left handers - who have a dominant right brain - are more creative, more imaginative, more artistic, more...well, here's a favourite quote of mine which just about sums it up perfectly:

"Left handers are wired into the artistic half of the brain which makes them imaginative, creative, surprising, ambiguous, exasperating, stubborn, emotional, witty, obsessive, infuriating, delightful, original, and never, never dull.” From 'The World's Greatest Left Handers' by James T de Kay and Sandy Huffaker

Left handed batting

There have been literally dozens of articles over the past couple of days regarding Kevin Pietersen and his left-handed batting. Just because the England cricketer can bat brilliantly with both his left and his right hand, people are whingeing he is ' gaining an unfair advantage by effectively changing from a right-hander to a left-hander'.

What nonsense!

Anyhow, the MCC don't seem to have a problem with it. In a statement, they confirmed: "The 'switch-hit' stroke is exciting for the game of cricket. Indeed, the stroke conforms to the Laws of Cricket and will not be legislated against. (The) MCC believe that the 'switch-hit' stroke is a difficult shot to execute and that it incurs a great deal of risk for the batsman. It also offers bowlers a good chance of taking a wicket and therefore the MCC believe that the shot is fair to both batsman and bowlers."

Yah boo sucks to the whiners. And hurrah for ambidextrous cricketers.

Left handers rule at The White House

In my last post, I mentioned that the next president of the US will be a left hander. I discovered today that Al Gore is left handed, too. So, if Dubya hadn't become president, there would have been 32 years of uninterrupted left-handed rule at The White House. Because Ford, Reagan, Bush Snr and Clinton were all left handed. Trust Bush Jnr to spoil things....

BTW, Reagan wrote with his right hand as he was forced to switch as a child (as happened regularly in those days) but he was actually a lefty. As was Winston Churchill.

Left handed president

Unless something unforeseen happens, the next president of the US will be left handed, as both Obama and McCain are southpaws.

Four of the last five US presidents have been left handers and soon it will be five out of six. Now that's far higher than the average. Only one in 12 people is left handed. Pure coincidence or a demonstration of the fact that left handers are naturally superior??

The forbidden use of the left hand

I learnt something interesting yesterday. In India, you should never pass something to someone with your left hand. If you do, it's regarded as an insult.

Usually, we southpaws muddle along quite happily in a right-handed world, but it wouldn't be natural for me to hold things in my right hand to give to someone. I am too left-hand dominant. And I certainly wouldn't get on well in those countries where you have to eat with your right hand. I'd end up with most of my food down my chin and my front.

I guess it's just a matter of practise. Maybe I'll try both things tomorrow and see how I fare....