Left-Hander’s Day: Celebrating uniqueness and difference

Bausha Paüwüng Longleng   International Left-Hander’s Day observe every year on August 13 to promote awareness of the inconveniences faced by left-handers in a predominantly right-handed world. Roughly ten percent of the world’s population are left handed people who in today's society adapt to use tools and objects made for righties. The inventors apparently made those things forgetting the fact that not all people in this world are right-handed. One may look at right-handers and lefties as more-or-less the same, but left-handed people still face problems on a daily basis. The plight of lefties’ struggle living in a world of right-handed majority is real.   Lefties most oftenly experience worse time in schools as most desks are biased toward right-handed people forcing lefties to contort themselves uncomfortably, suffer neck cramps to take note in their left-to-right writing in awkward position. Another place where lefties encounter problems is that when the meal begins, sometimes unconsciously drink someone else’s drink that served for those seated on his left side which makes his meal time embarrassing.   Zippers of a trouser are placed for the easy convenience of right-handed folks by placing the covering fabric in zippers on the left hand side. Lefties finds hard to find musical instruments designed for them as most instruments are designed to favour the right handed individuals. Left-handed people need to request for a customized one to suit their needs. Medical equipments and tools most if not all, have designed with right-handers in mind making life difficult to use for those in this profession..   Tape measures indicate number unfavourable to the lefties. Left-handed people are compelled to read the numbers upside down if they use it according to how they supposed to use.   Again, shooting guns are for the convenience of right handed people and for that matter, mostly, left handed soldiers experience the scary thing of seeing empty shells coming out of the side chamber of the gun flying past his face.   We use dao as daily tool yet for lefties, it's hassle to hone and cut as the design of a dao’s metal blade is such to whet from right side and handle with right-hand but lefties cutting from right side with left hand is so challenging.   A new set of problems arises when we use computers as the mouse is set up on the right side. Even if we extend the cable to get it on the left side of the desk, our mouse is still indented for the right hander’s thumb.   The world is moving on to the most convenient and easy method of cash withdrawal from the nearest ATM; paying cash slowly becomes a thing of the past. But unfortunately, for the lefties, these ideas are not so friendly since cash dispensing and credit card payment machines are still designed for the dominant righties. Card need to be swiped on the right hand side, causing an awkward situation for the lefty shoppers.   As lefties we goes through many difficulties and aggravations that only us can understand; so this day is made specified to tell the world that we are right to be left-handed and how unique and difference we are of being left-handed. We cann’t train ourselves to be right-handed. Though being left-handed is frustrating, the only thing we can do is to power through it all, and be the best lefty we can be.   Happy Left-Hander’s Day to all the left-handed folks!