Sometimes the simplest of tasks makes you think.
Last week I had a conversation with friends about left and right - from an orientational and directional point of view.
I was left flummoxed as intelligent adults explained their difficulties and the strategies they use to assist.
The most common of those is shaping the thumb and forefinger of each hand to create an L on the left hand and the inverse on the right with only one correct, denoting the left side.
Another strategy is to think of the hand that you write with, your dominant hand, and memorise either left or right.
Of course, this can be confused by those who swap their cutlery, noting that the knife should be held with the right hand no matter your dominance.
Yet, if you can't grasp left from right you will choose whatever may be most comfortable or practical, particularly if your parents/ guardians do the same.
For those who do not experience difficulty, can you remember learning your left from right?
The teaching of left and right normally occurs in our earliest school years but there are many adults who struggle with the concept.
And for what I considered such a simple matter, I end up down a rabbit warren of complexity.
kidspot tells us:
"So how do we learn our left and right? The exact process is not totally understood however it has been linked to the concept of Laterality. Laterality is the internal self-awareness of the left and right sides of the body. It is also linked to an awareness of a body midline, or an invisible line which divides our body in half."
Human brains are lateralized, there is a left and right with most experiencing dominance on one side.
For example, we may be left handed or left footed as our brain dictates or encourages the stronger side.
However, there are anomalies, such as the ambidextrous or those who hit balls and objects left handed and then throw right handed.
But generally, you are more dominant on one side of the body than the other.
Nonetheless, it should be noted that our brains are far more complex than left and right with our understanding of the lobes increasing at a rapid rate.
Our historic lack of acknowledgement regarding brain dominance is well understood.
Any left-handed writers who visited Hagley Primary School, experiencing school classrooms of yesteryear, would remember having their left-hand tied behind their back to force right-handed writing, which was due to the perceived awkwardness of writing with your left hand.
The NewScientist explained:
"Mixing up left and right is surprisingly common. One study found that up to a third of people have problems with it sometimes. It can be associated with dyslexia and dyspraxia, as well as difficulty telling the time.
"In languages such as French, Spanish and English, the word for right has positive connotations of being correct, straight and direct. In Latin and Italian, it is associated with dexterity.
"'Left', by contrast, comes from the Old English word lyft, meaning weak. The French word for left means clumsy, while the Italian word means sinister."
I am far from the best at directions and can find myself lost quite easily, but I do not have any issues with determining left from right.
However, without maps on my iPhone, I can struggle, not because I don't know where I am going, rather, digital navigation provides certainty and assurance that many of us require when making decisions, particularly when transporting others in the vehicle or when exploring new places.
Finding your way around when requiring a human navigator to play a role can cause tension and stress.
I can remember back to a time when maps and street guides, often a Melway, were given as Christmas presents, with those in the transport industry required to verbally recall how to get from A to B to gain the relevant licence.
I can only imagine the struggle of following directions from a navigator if the instruction was to to turn left in 500 metres when you have to madly scramble to decipher left from right.
Left and right is also a common way to describe different points of view in politics.
The origins can be traced back to the French Revolution. Time Magazine explained:
"The story begins in France, in the summer of 1789, explains Patrice Higonnet, a professor emeritus of French history at Harvard University.
"One of the main issues the assembly debated was how much power the king should have.... As the debate continued, those who thought the king should have an absolute veto sat on the right of the president of the assembly, and those who thought he should not - the more radical view - sat on the left of the president of the assembly. In other words, those who wanted to hew closer to tradition were on the right, and those who wanted more change were on the left."
It's easy to ridicule or denigrate the intellect of individuals who don't understand basic concepts, which many of us take for granted.
Yet, with an inquisitive and patient mind, we can more easily understand and try to assist those in need with everyday challenges.
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