Large NJ group is far less adaptable than the lefties

Before we roll into it, let's be clear that not everything regarding left versus right is political. Sometimes, it just has to do with who you are as a person, down to the very hand you use.

It's something most New Jerseyans don't think too much about. The big battle of which group is more adaptable. Right, or left?

Hands down, the answer is left. Not just in New Jersey, but pretty much anywhere in the world.

Being someone who is left-handed, I can tell you first-hand how much we must adapt to a world that's made for those who are right-handed. Simply put, society wasn't built for us.

Those who are righties outnumber lefties in droves, which is a big reason why not much is made for us who naturally use our left hand as the dominant one. But it's also why we're so much more adaptable.

It's not a choice, but a mandate. Those of us who are lefties must adjust and adapt, unlike those who are right-handed.

Even some of the basic everyday things right-handed people don't think twice about, left-handed people might have to. One of those tasks is writing.

Lefties vs Writing

But wait, how do we have to adapt to that? Good question. There are a number of things that make writing for us more challenging than a righty.

Think about the direction we write. We go from left to right, which precisely caters to right-handed people.

For left-handed people, it's a bit trickier. For one, if we don't lift our hands to write, we risk smearing ink along the pinky side of our hand.

Whether ink, pencil, chalk, or marker on a marker board, it's all the same. If we don't lift, we may smear and make a mess.

Lefties vs Scissors

Ah yes, using scissors. If you're a lefty, how much of a challenge was this for you in school? If the school was prepared, then maybe you were OK.

For kids that were lucky enough, there was at least one pair of lefty scissors to use. But if not? Good luck getting that project done.

It's not easy to find lefty-based scissors out there even for adults. As a result, we may simply adapt and force ourselves to use our right hands to cut.

Even today, I still have to stop myself from using my left hand to cut with scissors because it simply won't work without the correct scissors. I'd like to see a righty be forced to use left-handed scissors someday.

Lefties vs Computers

More specifically, the computer mouse. Now yes, a computer mouse can be set to be used with the left hand, but that doesn't always work.

Some of them, for example, are designed to be held comfortably in the right hand. That, of course, doesn't do much when you want to use your left hand.

So what do we do? What we always have to do. We adapt to a right-handed world and use our right hands.

Not to mention, computers set up in public are geared toward righties. It's just the reality of it. Right-handed mouse, here we come.

Lefties vs Adaptability

The examples above are just a few of the more common ones. The point is, that anyone who's a lefty must adapt to a world that's built for a righty.

Fortunately, we do get our own day during the summer. August 13 is National Left Handers Awareness Day, a day to celebrate and bring awareness to the challenges of those who were born to use the right half of their brain.

Left versus right isn't just a political thing, it's also a way of life. As for those of you who are righties, I challenge you to use a pair of scissors made for lefties. I guarantee they won't be easy for you to use.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.