I was surprised to hear about the International left-handers day yesterday, but I can’t help feel somewhat special today.
I share my story to create conversations we often joke about around left-handedness. Let’s see if my story confirms or challenges some of the stereotypes around left-handedness. Some of them I won’t explicitly point out, but if you have heard about them it will be easy for you to pick them out.
My name is Ashley Maramwidze…2019 Accounting graduate from the University of Zimbabwe. Founder – TravelPala (Inbound and outbound Vacations Accommodation booking Company).
I was born left-handed but for most of my childhood that only meant writing with my left hand. I got mocking words in primary school from my grade 1 teacher and I was quite disturbed by that on top of being nervous with starting school. However, I was fortunate enough to have a sibling (fourth born left-handed sister) who made it quite easier to accept that I was normal like other people. Later on, in my life, I then did a bit of research and found that there is really nothing wrong with me. Researchers who study human hand preference agree that the side of the preferred hand (right versus left) is produced by biological and, most likely, genetic causes.
You may have heard that we are somewhat geniuses…
People have their beliefs for left-handed people which I partly concur with. They think we’re intelligent people, highly adaptable, we remember events more than facts, we are better at sports and fighting. I don’t know about others, but my talents as I grew up were football, athletics, basketball, high jump and I was fairly a bright student in school. I’m also more of an academic person, reader and I do apply critical thinking in life. I love technology and to read and share it. In college, I would spend a large percentage of my time reading articles and watching videos about businesses and business people such as Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Techzim and etc. Nothing extra-ordinary much. My conclusion in this regard is that we’re very few, and out of the very few, many of us are more creative and artistic than righties.
Did you know, Leonardo da Vinci was left-handed. So were Mark Twain, Mozart, Marie Curie, Nicola Tesla, and Aristotle. Former US president Barack Obama is a left-hander, business leader Bill Gates and footballer Lionel Messi are also left-handed.
I’m just checking if you knew.
At the end of the day, I just want you to remember it’s not always easy being a left-handed person in a right-handed world. In fact, only around 10 percent of the population is left-handed, which means that most things are designed for righties, leaving lefties to fend for themselves. But being left-handed doesn’t have to stand in the way of anyone’s success, despite even taking exams on a right-handed person’s desk.
The take away of this article is, the life of a left-handed person is full of obstacles. From figuring out scissors, seating, dining, writing, lefties just struggle through life as everything is made for people with the right hands. The International Left-Handers Day is celebrated around the world on 13 August to honor the individuality of the approximately 10 percent of the population.
