Recently I learned a sinister new word from the A.Word.A.Day e-newsletter — “sinisterity” — which can have several meanings: left-handedness, skillfulness in the use of the left hand, awkwardness or clumsiness, and evilness or unluckiness. It is from the Latin sinister (left, left hand, unlucky).
How did left-handed people
come to be viewed as evil or unlucky? Likely because approximately 90% of
humans are right-handed, making left-handed people different and thus suspect. Despite
this perception, the world has benefited greatly from the contributions of
left-handers, who despite opposition have thrived in the fields of science
(Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, and Alan Turing); philosophy
(Aristotle and Frederick Nietzsche); the arts (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo,
and Raphael); sports (Babe Ruth, Sandy Koufax, Stan Musial, and Ty Cobb);
politics (Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama); and business/philanthropy
(Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey).
The brain is
cross-wired, meaning that the right side of the brain controls the left side of
the body and vice versa. We also know that the two sides of the brain control
different functions. Left brain functions include right-hand control, numbers
skills, written skills, science and math, reasoning, language, and analytic
thought, whereas right brain functions include left-hand control, insight and
intuition, creativity, imagination, art and music awareness, 3D perception, and
wholistic thought. Therefore, we need both “left-brained people” and “right-brained
people” to tap into all the potential of our humanity and form a vibrant, diverse
kingdom of God.
From now on, you might wish to silently bless each left-handed person you encounter, for they are living reminders to embrace rather than judge people who are different, to accept the ways that we ourselves may be different, and to remember that God loves all of us in our marvelous diversity.
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