Opinion | Embracing my left hand

Growing up left-handed felt entirely natural to me, yet it was met with confusion and harsh discipline. In Substandard A (now Grade 1), my instinct to use my left hand would lead to abrupt reprimands, with a ruler striking my head and no reasonable explanation provided. My natural left-handedness would resurface, leading to repeated confusion and discipline.

This cycle highlighted how the norms of the past often lacked empathy and understanding. The notion that left is wrong, seemed widespread, and at the time, it was an accepted norm that children, growing up tough, was just part of life. During my time starting school, there is no trace of a school policy that children should be dissuaded from using their left hands, however, it was at the discretion of each school to implement this in accordance with cultural beliefs.

But the challenges did not end in the classroom. Society and peers had their own ways of making me feel like my left-handedness was something to be ashamed of. I recall being teased mercilessly, with some calling my left-hand an antiquota — a cruel reference to the misconception that baboons are predominantly left-handed.

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The sting of these words cut deep, making me feel like I was somehow less than others. The teasing was often brutal, with phrases that implied I was using my hand for unclean purposes. It was a painful experience, one that made me wish I could just blend in and be like everyone else.

One of my best friends, who is older than me, grew up in a totally different area, was coerced and changed from being a lefty into using his right hand. Today, he writes with his right hand and predominantly uses his left foot. I have also heard many of my contemporaries saying that extreme measures to discourage them from using their left hands were taken, including the said left hands being burnt.

This goes to show that this was indeed not only school-related indoctrination but widespread. In the broader community, the impact of these cultural norms was clear. Many left-handed individuals, like my friend, faced similar coercion, demonstrating that this was not just a local issue but a widespread phenomenon. This highlights the extent of the efforts made to change left-handedness, often without a valid reason.

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