Love - Neverending and Without Condition

 

"My love for you is never-ending and without condition."

I feel this way about my loved ones. 

It -- love -- seems to lose meaning with all of its extempore usage on greeting cards and trite, social media prepackaged notes. But, true love is there, always, no matter the circumstance or proposed mutual "give and take." It is so much more firm, steady, and ever-reliant ... and always forgiving. Words and translations truly give "love" little definitive definition. What I do know is that love is the most important emotion transcended by no other emotional conscious mental reaction (such as anger or fear). Instead, it is typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body as part of its strong attraction. Permanent changes of deep, deep affection.

Whether arising out of kinship, companionship, admiration, or benevolence, “love” designates an unparalleled good will and benevolent, good-will concern for the good or welfare of others. It involves both care and desire so stable that nothing can lesson its degree of deep affection and kindness. For that matter, no matter the changing circumstances of world in which loves exists, it abides forever in my life and after the death of my departed loved ones. The generalizations I have made may be be broad  and hackeyed with few or no conditions to living stimuli: however my emotions of love are stronger than any other bond in my existence. My goal is to have you love me.

Closeness, admiration, respect, and warmth comprise its complexity, yet no objective measure of the strength and character of liking or loving in a given relationship is quite possible. It retains a mysterious, tough-to-define quality of life force, involving various grants of forgiveness and beloved grace. How true. Love does conquer all.

One can try to create a model for different aspects of love. For example, "Canadian psychologist John Lee, built a color-wheel model in theory based on an analogy with the set of primary and secondary colors and draws upon ancient Greek terms for various forms or aspects of love. The three “primary” styles of love in Lee’s model are Eros, or erotic love; Ludus, or playful love; and Storge, or familial love, exemplified by a parent’s love for a child. Just as primary colors can be mixed to produce various secondary colors, so can primary love styles be combined to form “secondary” love styles, which Lee also referred to with ancient Greek terms. Thus, Mania, or obsessive love, represents a mixture of Eros and Ludus; Pragma, or mature love, is a mixture of Ludus and Storge; and Agape, or unconditional, selfless love, is a mixture of Storge and Eros."

(Sophia Cherney, Love - Emotion. Encyclopedia Britannica. Fact-checked by Editors of' Encyclopedia Britannica. Last updated on March 22, 2024.)

Yet, the circles exist without end, and the meaning does little to give justice to the strength and necessity of love I feel. Lee built an interesting theory, yet it does little justice to the emotional aspects of love without any condition. I feel true love on a color wheel is akin to a carnival spin in a sideshow -- a shallow, incomplete construction whose loss and rewards are based largely on chance and circumstance. All the condition of chance and circumstance in true love will certainly takes its sweet time to "go out the window" and leave the purity of love intact.

I believe true love owes nothing to its division and trying to conceive this largely serves to confuse the reader. In categorization, it cheapens the honest, heartfelt emotion as a simple spin designated as pieces of "a pie graph" and unfeeling designation. Word play and chance to me are insufficient to define anything other than an obligation to accept intensities and differences in its wide range of feeling. Love is so much more definite and less apt to be pigeonholed into its various scientific forms. Love blossoms in its eternity in all forms -- you get no "spins," just ample opportunities to show the emotion -- you love: you win.

Many biochemists consider love to be a biological process. They hold that positive socializing triggers cognitive and physiological processes that create desirable or beneficial emotional and neurological states. A relationship provides constant triggering of sensory and cognitive systems that prompt the body to seek love and to respond positively to interaction with loved ones and negatively to their absence.

I, of course, agree that love involves a a psychological process just as strong as its physiological peculiarities. After all, love is an emotion. However, any negativity is self-administered. Call it pity or pride, those concepts are self conceived -- we are meant to forgive and love others. Period. And to love ourselves for what we are in the process of spreading love, the same. Love yourself and others. "Everything worth having costs something, and the price of true love is self-knowledge." source unknown.

"Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
" 

—Poet Veronica A. Shoffstall

American psychologist Robert Sternberg argued that love has three emotional components: intimacy, passion, and decision or commitment. Familiar forms or experiences of love can be understood to consist of a single component, different combinations of two components, or all three components. For example, the love that is characteristic of close friendships or liking consists of intimacy alone; infatuation consists of passion alone; “empty love”—which may exist at an early stage of an arranged marriage or at a later stage of a deteriorating marriage—consists of commitment alone; romantic love consists of intimacy and passion; “companionate” love consists of intimacy and commitment; fatuous love consists of passion and commitment; and consummate, or complete, love consists of a combination of all three components, intimacy, passion, and commitment. Sternberg also held that forms of love consisting of combinations of components tend to last longer than those consisting of single components.

(Sophia Cherney, Love - Emotion. Encyclopedia Britannica. Fact-checked by Editors of' Encyclopedia Britannica. Last updated on March 22, 2024.) 

Naturally, many biochemists consider love to be a biological process. Positive socializing triggers cognitive and physiological processes that create desirable or beneficial emotional and neurological states. A relationship provides constant triggering of sensory and cognitive systems that prompt the body to seek love and to respond positively to interaction with loved ones and negatively to their absence. 

 

Recent biological theories of love, pioneered in evolutionary research by the American anthropologist Helen Fisher, break down love into three biological processes: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust generally operates through the distribution of the hormones, testosterone and estrogrgen attraction via the orgainic compound dopamine and the neurotransmitters nor epinephrine and serotonin, and attachment through the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin. For evolutionary biologists, each component of love has an evolutionary basis: lust for encouraging sexual reproduction, attraction for discriminating in favor of healthy mates, and attachment for facilitating  familial bonding.

 (Sophia Cherney, Love - Emotion. Encyclopedia Britannica. Fact-checked by Editors of' Encyclopedia Britannica. Last updated on March 22, 2024.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh my God, clinical approaches to understanding love are numerous and pretty cumbersome. That doesn't mean I disagree with all of these theories; it just means my understanding of true love boggles the brain and can or cannot produce accepted theory as fact. I'm much too involved in loving my kin and friends to reduce our relationships to scientific terms and psychological discussions. To me, love = love. It is a commandment give by God -- even if complicated by the Golden Rule and Two-way Streets -- to simply define and put to practice by degrees.  

Distance, separation, divorce, and death do not change one's love for another. It lives on in various vows, expressions and deep understandings -- I think that love is indestructible, no matter the disagreement. To me, love is the strongest, most fertile, eternal emotion that guides all good life decisions and, forever, longs for it's own self  in utmost need. I simply believe love = a good life on earth and expectations in the hereafter. God, himself or herself, must be a true generation of loving spirit. The gift is ours for taking, and although some have a very rough time experiencing love from others -- to the point of abuse and hatred -- it is love that overcomes all evil. Call that spiritual interpretation; however, I call it acceptance of all forms of love.

 “Love conquers the body by embracing it,
conquers the mind by massaging it,
conquers the heart by kissing it,
and conquers the soul by marrying it.” 

 
― Canadian-based philosopher Matshona Dhliwayo

"Love's" entomology is very complicated . Love is now widely believed (due to historical written record) to be from the idea that when one does a thing “for love” it is for no monetary gain, the word “love” thus implying "nothing." Other etyomological meanings show notations related to praise, carnality, lust, charity, and benevolent concern for another. 

The one word history I prefer is now obsolete and translates to "a thin silk material" (a * Sive, a piece of Cyprus, or a "Love-Hood."). This speaks mainly to to the fragility of the emotion of dance and its delicate making and mastery.

* ("sieve") is a Cypriot traditional dance, performed with a sieve (tatsia -τατσιά in the Cypriot dialect).

 

Tatsia is a dance of skill, combining the hand and body in non-stop movement. The dancer holds a sieve in his hand with the four main fingers on the top of the inside perimeter of the sieve, while his thumb is on the top of the outside. Then an assistant of the dancer (usually a woman), or even the dancer himself, puts a glass of wine on the bottom of the inside perimeter of the sieve. The wine within the glass must not exceed the middle of the glass. Then the dancer performs a variety of moves with his hands holding the sieve, as he is dancing to the rhythm. The dancer can put in the sieve as many glasses of wine as he likes. In order to put more than three though a bigger sieve is required as well as a small piece of wood to put on the three base glasses. That small piece of wood is used as a surface on which the other glasses can be put on. 

 

In any case the glasses must not touch the top perimeter of the sieve. All of the moves must be performed with speed and grace or else the glass(es) may fall or the wine spilled. The dance was created by the men in Cyprus in a form of competition or as a means to impress a woman. Some of the moves are hard to be performed even by professionals. Tatsia requires the dancer to have stamina, full control of his hands and knowledge of the footwork of the dance.

 (Tatsia. Wikipedia.)

Love is certainly all of that -- a dance requiring expertise in balance and control. Performing a beautiful dance of love is inherent in our being but very tough to master in forms of its art. "Thin" and "silky" describes the relation to the love presented and received by the person. Some of the moves of Tatsia are very difficult to be performed even by professionals. Tatsia requires the dancer to have stamina, full control of his hands and knowledge of the footwork of the dance. A beautiful analogy to being and staying in love -- held best by those with constant practice and controlled grace. One must practice love daily and uphold its ultimate goal in life. Very few reach enlightenment.

Once again: "My love for you is never-ending and without condition." 

I pray these words strike you as they did me when I composed them. The things we are bound and committed to love begin with our first heartbeat. I see my God as a master of my lifelong class, teaching me how to perfect my "love dance tatsia" in a world filled with hatred and misunderstanding. We all must exercise the ultimate gift of love from above, and it is we who must relieve love from all its restrictive, horrid conditions. 

Love is perfection --  the one thing in the entire universe that is entirely perfect. And being such means it must hold everything within it – both good and evil, both beauty and ugliness, both peace and war. It is up to each of us to fight that evil foe and allow ourselves to love ... compromise, excusal, forgiveness, all are heavenly traits. We must accept them without condition to experience this tender, passionate affection. It is truly the only hope for mankind. I pray "Amen" without end.

Love’s Philosophy

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine?—

See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What is all this sweet work worth
If thou kiss not me?

 --Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

* The poem promulgates one of the oldest arguments of a swain to a maid: “All the world is in intimate contact – water, wind, mountains, moonbeams, even flowers. What about you?” Since “Nothing in the world is single,” he says with multiple examples, “What is all this sweet work worth / If thou kiss not me?” 

What Day Is It -- Did Time Stand Still?

 

I literally, awake and not sleeping, had the strangest thing happen to me. I lost track of the day. No, not hours, the entire day. I noticed the clock read 11:30, and the sun was still shining. There was no way. It had to be 11:30 p.m. or else the battery in the clock had gone haywire. I had been awake since the early hours of the morning of May 8, and I was sure the entire day had gone by, so I was preparing for my normal evening. I'm still shocked the time was 11:30 a.m. on May 8 when I realized that little or no time had elapsed since getting up. My wife thought I was even more insane than usual.

Strangely, I had not napped since early morning, and I spent hours awake before my strange experience -- even letting the dog out and giving him a bath plus writing a journal entry on "parents." Believe me, as slow as I am these days, this stoppage of time couldn't have been related to my old, typically confused brain. I was conscious and evidently time had stood still -- for how long, I cannot say. I thought about this had happened to no end: it was a complete mystery to me.

I did not feel faint nor did I refrain from taking my pills on time. I Googled my feelings and found out that something called "dissociative identity disorder" is used to describe "losing time." When we talk about losing time we’re talking about severe dissociative amnesia which, in a milder form, is something the author believes everyone experiences. It’s easy to be unaware that you’re losing time at all. But what of its severity?

Living with dissociative identity disorder (DID)  can be a perplexing reality. There are many symptoms, including depersonalization and derealization. . One symptom involves “losing time: or “blacking out” for periods of time. This happens with no drugs or alcohol in the system. It is scary to realize that you've lost time, and sometimes the person may not realize it at all.

 Losing time, or having large blocks of time for which one has no memory is a symptom of DID. This can be very scary and can have serious consequences. Sometimes a person will lose so much time that they “wake up” in an unfamiliar town or place. This is called Dissociative Fugue. 

(Polley, S. 2015, February 1. "Losing Time With Dissociative Identity Disorder," HealthyPlace.)

The Cleveland Clinic calls Dissociative Fugue a symptom where a person with memory loss travels or wanders. That leaves the person in an unfamiliar setting with no memory of how they got there. This symptom usually happens with conditions caused by severe trauma. People usually regain their memories but almost always need mental health care to help them fully recover.

The term “fugue” comes from the Latin word for fleeing or running away, which is why this symptom involves traveling or wandering. People who experience a fugue state usually can’t recognize gaps in their memory until they have evidence that they can’t remember something. People with this symptom can unintentionally travel to specific locations or wander. Often, they'll come out of the fugue state and feel confused because they don't remember how they got to where they are.

Fugue states can be as short as a few hours, or they can last for days or even months. When fugue states are shorter, it’s harder for others to see signs of them, as people with this might look like they’re late or absent from their usual comings and goings. When fugue states are longer, people can find themselves far away from their usual surroundings. They might try to take on a new identity and build a new life for themselves, which can last until their memories return.

Dissociative fugues are most likely to happen because of two conditions, dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder. In dissociative amnesia, memory loss happens as a defense mechanism to protect a person from recalling disturbing or painful events. It can also happen because of ongoing strain, especially when a person faces sudden life changes, including ending relationships, financial or work troubles, or the loss of a loved one.

("Dissociative Fugue." Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/22836-dissociative-fugue. April 19, 2022.)

Between 1–1.5% of the global population has DID, according to recent estimates, which develops when someone experiences trauma which causes their mind to fracture. DID is characterized by the involuntary creation of altered states of consciousness, which may present as distinct personalities, according to Mayo Clinic.  

Mayo also called DID "losing time," and declares that this feature of dissociative disorders is often associated with traumatic events. A clinical diagnosis of dissociative amnesia must be specific to a certain time, and it may occur suddenly, according to the clinic.

People who are diagnosed with DID and other dissociative disorders may find that it impacts their daily functioning and puts stress on their relationships, as they may seem distant, confused, or forgetful.

Feeling "out of it" for one day doesn't mean you have a dissociative disorder, but if you find yourself losing chunks of time or feeling like you're outside your body several times a week, it could be something to discuss with a professional, psychologist Rebecca Semel told Business Insider.

One person who suffers frequently from disassociating (the last ten years), or losing time, says it can be dangerous with no memory and no recall. She says ...

"Malevolent dissociative experiences for me are harmful. Through intense examination of my emotional awareness and lack of ability to completely control my emotions, and my reactions to them, I have been able to begin to understand why these things happen to me. Anger, fear, failure, self-hate and guilt. These five emotions are overwhelming for me. 

"When any of these emotions cross the hair-thin line of being too much for me to handle, I disappear. Sometimes it happens quickly, and I come to hours later, or even the next day. Other times I can feel myself starting to dissolve. It’s like a tingling sensation all over my body, with a slight pressure that slowly shrinks me. I get smaller and smaller, and a fog comes over my brain. My vision gets blurry, and I almost feel tired. My voice sounds like it’s trapped in a tunnel, and everything around me appears bigger, the smaller I get. I shrink down, losing feeling in my face and limbs, and then my awareness simply stops.

"Through a lot of introspection, personal insight and help from my psychologists and psychiatrist, I have been able to keep going. I have been able to slowly discern between my post-traumatic stress disorder  brain and my logical or non-emotional practical brain. I have been able to identify emotions, so that I may distract and delay any forthcoming harm ..."

 (Christine Tate."When Your Disorder Causes You to Lose Time." The Mighty. May 7,, 2024.)

I, myself, have never experienced anything like Christine Tate before, so I'm putting my experience in the category of freaky one-time occurrences. So far, I don't feel "trapped, smaller, or tingling all over." Just strange. It's pretty disturbing and it does make me wonder if there is any connection to my known OCD and depression. I just somehow lost a day. I'm glad my wife convinced me that it was just me being my off-centered self; however, she disapproves of all of my weird behaviors.

(Andrea Michelson. "4 subtle signs you're dissociating, according to a psychologist." Business Insider. May 19, 2022.)

The Children Suffer the Sins of Their Parents

 

 

We simply must have better parents and guardians for our precious children. Whether lack of education,lack of experience, or just plain indifference present such substandard childcare, what matters is the effect on our progeny and their generation and so many more to come thereafter. Love and care offer answers. 

America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2023, is a compendium of indicators about our Nation's young people. The report, the 25th produced by the Forum, presents 41 key indicators on important aspects of children's lives. These indicators are drawn from our most reliable Federal statistics, are easily understood by broad audiences, are objectively based on substantial research, are balanced so that no single area of children's lives dominates the report, are measured often to show trends over time, and are representative of large segments of the population rather than one particular group.

The report continues to present key indicators in seven domains: family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. To ensure that the information stays relevant, the Forum periodically revises indicators, data sources, and features to maintain the relevance of the report.

I chose not to include all 41 Key Indicators on Important Aspects of Children's Lives, but I picked several of those indicators that show the pitiful state of so many children in America. I hope you read this and realize the importance of the entry. It is my hope parents, guardians, and children find relief from the suffering they face. Our children are our most important resource. We must support changes to better their conditions.

Each volume of America's Children also spotlights critical data gaps identified by the Forum's Planning Committee and its Federal statistical agencies. Starting with the 2017 report, such data concerns, related to understanding the condition and progress of our Nation's children, were consolidated into a stand-alone Data Topics report section, rather than included as Indicators Needed at the end of each report domain.

 ("America's Children: Key Nationa Indicators of Well-Being. 2013." America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2023. Child Stats. https://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/. Office of the Chief Statistician. U.S. Office of Management and Budget.)

Demographic data by birth cohort generation can shed light on how the U.S. population is changing over time and help inform programs and policies. For instance, younger generations are more racial­ly and eth­ni­cal­ly diverse than old­er generations, with Gen Alpha being the most diverse generation yet. Children and youth of color generally experience disproportionately poor outcomes across many areas of health and well-being. To ensure the long-term prosperity of our country, programs and policies must be culturally responsive and prioritize equitable outcomes for all young people.

* 1.  For decades, the share of U.S. children living with a single parent has been rising, accompanied by a decline in marriage rates and a rise in births outside of marriage. A Pew Research Center study (2018) of 130 countries and territories shows that the U.S. has the world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households.

 Almost a quarter of U.S. children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults (23%), more than three times the share of children around the world who do so (7%). The study, which analyzed how people’s living arrangements differ by religion, also found that U.S. children from Christian and religiously unaffiliated families are about equally likely to live in this type of arrangement.

(Gretchen Livingston. "About one-third of U.S. children are living with an unmarried parent." Pew Research Center. April 27, 2018.)

* 2. In 2023, 4.8 percent of families included an unemployed person, up from 4.7 percent in 2022, the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Of the nation's 83.8 million families, 80.2 percent had at least one employed member in 2023.These data on employment, unemployment, and family relationships are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 60,000 households. 

Data in this news release are annual averages. Families are classified either as married-couple families or as families maintained by women or men without spouses present. Unless otherwise noted, families include those with and without children under age 18.

 At least one parent was employed in 91.9 percent of families with children, up from 91.2 percent in 2022. Among married-couple families with children, 97.6 percent had at least one employed parent-- National.

(News Release: "Employment Characteristics of Families — 2023." U.S. Department of Labor. April 24, 2024.)

Those U.S. Department of Labor statistics do not sound tremendously bad for children of working families. Yet, you must read on to find indicators of poverty and mistreatment of children to catch the full effect of this entry.

 

* 3. Children under age 18 who are in poverty according to the supplemental poverty measure. Currently, 16% of all children in the United States — 11.6 million kids total — are living in poverty. A family of four with annual earnings below $29,678 is considered poor. In the last decade, the percentage of U.S. children in poverty peaked at 23% in 2012, and fell to 16% 2022. 16% National

(Data Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation./ PRB analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement.)

* 4. Extreme poverty: the share of children under age 18 who live in families with incomes less than 50% of the federal poverty level.

The federal poverty definition consists of a series of thresholds based on family size and composition. In 2022, a 50% poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children was $14,839. Poverty status is not determined for people in military barracks, institutional quarters, or for unrelated individuals under age 15 (such as foster children). The data are based on income received in the 12 months prior to the survey.

 

The official poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5 percent, with 37.9 million people in poverty. Neither the rate nor the number in poverty. Official poverty rates increased
between 2021 and 2022 for the White and non-Hispanic White populations.

The estimates in this report are based on data collected in the 2023 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements (CPS
ASEC) conducted by the Census Bureau. In 2021, 8.8% of families were in poverty, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from 2020. 11.5% National Poverty -- close to 9% with children.

(Data Source:PRB analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Census Supplementary Survey & American Community Survey table B17024.)

* 5.  Children under age 18 living in families where at least one parent does not have a job, has been actively looking for work in the past 4 weeks, and is currently available for work. For children living in single-parent families, this means that the resident parent is unemployed. For children living in married-couple families, this means that either or both parents are unemployed.

 

Children under age 18 who live in families with incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level and where at least one parent worked 50 or more weeks during the previous year, by children in immigrant families or US-born families. 

 

 The federal poverty definition consists of a series of thresholds based on family size and composition. In 2022, the 200% poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children was $59,356. Poverty status is not determined for people in military barracks, institutional quarters, or for unrelated individuals under age 15 (such as foster children).

Children in immigrant families are themselves foreign-born or reside with at least one foreign-born parent. Children in U.S.-born families are both themselves and their resident parents born in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Northern Marianas or born abroad of American parents.

 

 (Data Source: PRB analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Last Updated in January 2024.)

* 6. The percentage of households with children birth to age 17 that sometimes or often did not have enough food to eat prior to March 13, 2020. On March 13, 2020, the U.S. government declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, thus marking the start of the pandemic in the United States. Only respondents who provided a valid response are included. 16% and 13% in the last week - National.

(Data Source: Population Reference Bureau analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey, 2020. Updated April 2021.)

 

* 7. The percentage of households with children birth to age 17 where it has been somewhat or very difficult for the household to pay for usual household expenses, including but not limited to food, rent or mortgage, car payments, medical expenses, students loans, and so on in the past week. Only respondents who provided a valid response are included. 48-50% National

(Data Source: Population Reference Bureau analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey, 2020-2022. Updated December 2022.)

* 8. Children under age 18 who live in families where no parent has regular, full-time employment. For children living in single-parent families, this means the resident parent did not work at least 35 hours per week, at least 50 weeks in the 12 months prior to the survey. For children living in married-couple families, this means neither parent worked at least 35 hours per week, at least 50 weeks in the 12 months prior to the survey. Children living with neither parent were listed as not having secure parental employment because those children are likely to be economically vulnerable. 28-27% National (Data Source: PRB analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey) * 9. Children living in families lacking secure parental employment are vulnerable. Without at least one parent employed full time, children are more likely to fall into poverty. Yet too many parents who want full-time work are forced to piece together part-time or temporary jobs that do not provide sufficient or stable income; some lack the education and skills needed to secure a good job. Even a full-time job at low wages does not necessarily lift a family out of poverty. 33-34% National (This indicator is part of the KIDS COUNT Child Well-Being Index. Read the KIDS COUNT Data Book to learn more: http://datacenter.kidscount.org/publications.)   For children living in single-parent families, this means the resident parent did not work at least 35 hours per week, at least 50 weeks in the 12 months prior to the survey. For children living in married-couple families, this means neither parent worked at least 35 hours per week, at least 50 weeks in the 12 months prior to the survey. Children living with neither parent were listed as not having secure parental employment because those children are likely to be economically vulnerable. (Data Source: PRB analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Last updated 2019) Children under age 18 in families that receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), cash public assistance income, or Food Stamps/SNAP in the previous 12 months. 26% National (Data Source: PRB analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey table B09010. Last Updated November 2023.) While many unemployed teens may be enrolled in school, developing job skills and experience can be instrumental in the transition to adulthood. It is critical that teens stay engaged in either school or the workforce, or both, but detachment from those settings can keep youth from developing the skills and knowledge needed to access to good jobs and higher wages in the future. Youth ages 16 to 19 who are not enrolled in school (full- or part-time) and not employed (full- or part-time). This measure is sometimes referred to as “Idle Teens” or “Disconnected Youth.” 7% National (Data are provided for the 50 most populous cities according to the most recent Census counts. Cities for which data are collected may change over time. November 2023.) (PRB analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Census Supplementary Survey & American Community Survey table B14005.) * 10. The percentage of households with children birth to age 17 that are very likely or extremely likely to have to leave their home/apartment due to eviction or foreclosure in the next two months. Only respondents who are currently paying rent/mortgage and are not caught up on rent/mortgage payments, and who provided a valid response are included. 32-47% National (Data Source:"Population Reference Bureau analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey, 2020-2022." Updated December 2022.)   * 11. The percentage of adults ages 18 to 24 who reported that they currently do not have health insurance. Adults were classified as uninsured if they did not report any private health insurance coverage or public health plan coverage at the time of the interview. Adults were also classified as uninsured if they had only Indian Health Service coverage. Only respondents who provided a valid response are included. 4-5% National (Data Source: Population Reference Bureau analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey, 2020-2022. Updated December 2022.) * 12. Children ages 2 to 17 with a parent who reports that a doctor has told them their child has autism, developmental delays, depression or anxiety, ADD/ADHD, or behavioral/conduct problems. 21% National (Data Source: (Child Trends analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, National Survey of Children’s Health. Tthe National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). The NSCH includes information on approximately 50,000 children under age 18, with representative samples for each state. For more information on the NSCH, see http://childhealthdata.org/learn/NSCH.Updated April 2019.) * 13. The percentage of adults ages 18 to 24 who reported that they felt nervous, anxious or on edge for more than half of the days or nearly every day in the past seven days. Only respondents who provided a valid response are included. 39% National (Data Source: Population Reference Bureau analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey, 2020-2021. Updated July 2021.) * 14. Children whose parents/guardians reported that they "somewhat disagree" or "definitely disagree" with the statement: "The child is safe in our neighborhood" There were changes to the wording of this item between 2011–2012 and the 2015–2016 survey. Previously, this variable was defined as children age 0-17 years whose parents indicated that the child lived in a neighborhood that was "sometimes" or "never" safe. Due to changes in wording of this item, it is now defined as children age 0-17 years whose parents/guardians reported that they "somewhat disagree" or "definitely disagree" with the statement: "The child is safe in our neighborhood."  Due to changes in the survey’s item wording, it is not possible to compare estimates from the redesigned survey to those from previous iterations of the NSCH or NS-CSHCN or to conduct related trend analyses. The redesigned NSCH will support trend analyses beginning with data from 2016. 5% National (Data Source: Child Trends analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, National Survey of Children’s Health.) * 15. Children growing up in single-parent families typically do not have the same economic or human resources available as those growing up in two-parent families. Compared with children in married-couple families, children raised in single-parent households are more likely to drop out of school, to have or cause a teen pregnancy and to experience a divorce in adulthood. Children growing up in single-parent families typically do not have the same economic or human resources available as those growing up in two-parent families. Compared with children in married-couple families, children raised in single-parent households are more likely to drop out of school, to have or cause a teen pregnancy and to experience a divorce in adulthood. Ohio 37% (This indicator is included in the KIDS COUNT Child Well-Being Index. Read the KIDS COUNT Data Book to learn more: http://datacenter.kidscount.org/publications.)   * 16. Child victims are children who are subject to at least one substantiated or indicated maltreatment report. Prior to 2015, children in cases receiving alternative response were included as victims, but from 2015 onwards, these children are not included as victims to align with a change in methodology in the Children's Bureau's Child Maltreatment report. Rates of maltreated children are per 1,000 children under 18 years old. It is important to note that these numbers do not include child victims who did not come to the attention of authorities through a report of maltreatment. Because of this, and because of state differences in policies and practices—including variations in the legal definitions of maltreatment—readers should exercise caution in interpreting trends and in making state-to-state comparisons. To the extent possible, we use the same definition of substantiation as the Child Maltreatment report. However, unlike many of the tabulations in the report, our analyses examine the number of children who were maltreated, not the number of maltreatment incidents. Since a child can be the subject of more than one maltreatment incident, the numbers of children in each category presented here will be smaller than in the report’s tabulations of incidents. Cases of maltreatment where the victim was not yet born, or was 18 years or older, are not included. State estimates are shown only for states with valid data. In the publicly-available NCANDS file, state names are suppressed on records dealing with child fatalities to protect confidentiality.  Among all reported fatalities, some cases had prior investigations (in the same fiscal year) for reported maltreatment, and others did not. Prior to 2010, fatalities were included in our national totals. Beginning in 2010, our national total includes fatalities if they also had a prior investigation report that was not associated with a fatality, but otherwise fatalities are excluded. We made this exclusion because it is not possible in the public-use file to identify which of the children who died also have a record indicating a prior maltreatment investigation, and because we found that this approach yields national totals that are closer to the Children’s Bureau’s estimates (i.e., national totals are more likely to be overestimated when fatalities are included than they are to be underestimated if fatalities are excluded). Due to missing state data, national totals are not provided before 2004. National estimates after 2005 include Puerto Rico. Data Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) Child File, FFY 2000–2021. Updated April 2024.)   To Beat the Child Was Bad Enough   A young body, light  As winter sunshine, a new  Seed's bursting promise,  Hung from a string of silence  Above its future.  (The chance of choice was never known.)  Hunger, new hands, strange voices,  Its cry came natural, tearing.    Water boiled in innocence, gaily  In a cheap pot.  The child exchanged its Curiosity for terror. The skin Withdrew, the flesh submitted.    Now, cries make shards  Of broken air, beyond an unremembered Hunger and the peace of strange hands.    -- Maya Angelou

I Write For ... Someone? ... Myself?

 

If for no other reason than to discover myself, I write. I often make new connections between the past and the present this way. Writing also loosens up my brain to give me voice to my positions and a better view of special subjects. As you can tell, my audience is made up of a few loyal readers, but at this time, quality matters, not quantity in that the therapeutic nature of putting words on paper is my biggest goal. 

Thanks to those who do read my thoughts. Someday after I'm gone, maybe some family member will take time to review the plethora of blog entries I've made over many years. I rather hope this way, they can "be with me" again in the words on the page. I seriously doubt this will ever happen: each one is so busy with his/her own worlds. I think my writing and my favorite music could reveal some real character to anyone ever interested.

This writing is a personal narrative, but not a memoir in autobiographical form. I choose to write about almost any subject matter that interests me, not just about events from my life. I guess you can glean more about my personal life by judging my interests, perspectives, and views on this blog, rather than by reading about my personal experiences. True, some events are included, but not many. 

I am not a very good story teller, so my autobiography would probably be dull, not vivid and filled with associations of people, places, and things I have encountered. That is why I label "All Things Wildly Considered" an editorial blog rather than a biographical collection. I know masters of memory and story, and, believe me, that is not my style to conjure images of my less-than-illustrious past. I'll stick with this weird editorializing and give credit to people like Pat Crabtree and Linda Scott for historical fiction. Both epitomize the beauty of the genre. I am so envious. I can teach writing, but I can't produce it like the pros. My scatter-brain takes an idea and too soon lets it loose like a kid might let go of a kite string in a stiff wind.

Not claiming what I enter on the blog to be art, I still often put fingers to the keyboard when I'm feeling specific emotions -- a gamut from anger, contempt, sadness, celebration, or just plain stress. If you have never tried writing when you have strong emotions, you should. It is excellent for struggling to get back your equilibrium. It's like taking a walk into an undiscovered forest --  exciting and scary as hell. Pen and paper or my preferred computer and keyboard, you just might find something interesting to share.

Much like a visit to the therapist, writing alleviates stress through artful connections of units of language that offer functions as principal characters of meaning. (I worked hard to produce that thoughtful mouthful.) From word selection to phrases to sentences to paragraphs to essays -- the various writing processes can straighten your keel and help direct your pent-up energy as you freewrite, revise, and produce a legible, hopefully sensible view. 

I may sound selfishly common but I write for discovery, and I use the internet to stimulate my own interests  as well as to offer me much-needed argumentative support. I love to see people use their own skills to produce words describing their unique thoughts and feelings, no matter the simplicity nor complexity of their usage.  

Writing "captures" ideas on paper and allows others to read these exact thoughts. It is this "trapping" and the search for precise delivery that drives the writer to consider audience and the best word constructions. I consider writing a good sentence to be spectacular, and I encouraged students of writing to work on little bits and pieces of word play that fit to unlock meaning. 

I hate puzzles, but writing and figuring out exactly what I want to relate give me great joy. Accurate, well-placed words allow pinpoint delivery. Never worry about when to stop revising -- it always adds more. Plus, use your own personal tone and you may understand how a style of individuality develops for us all as we put down letters to conjure our own meanings. I've taught beginning writers to blossom by convincing them to develop the confidence to use the language. The process is complicated, but easily understood by someone with something to say. We all don't drive a Mercedes when a Camry will do just fine -- style will come with practice of skills.

Just a little warning -- style is tricky in that it can't be forced or created through copying another's actual words (fluff). I guess we all still marvel as how Abraham Lincoln wrote the matchbox-short "Gettysburg Address" as one of the most admired, best-known speeches in American history. It's brief; direct; simply understood; and universally famous. "Divine" comes to mind. Let's look at it once more.

Gettysburg Address

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

 "But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

 -- Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863

Precision, you bet. Spirit -- without a doubt. But, even more importantly, Lincoln upholds the one central rule of writing in this famous speech -- The Truth. A writer must be true to himself and commit his words to the basic truths of the world in which he lives. How Lincoln nailed the ultimate honor of those thousands of lives sacrificed for an enduring Union. And how he succinctly ended with consecrating the battlefield itself under God to usher in  "a new birth of freedom for all" -- "a government of the people, by the people, for the people" while giving credit to "those brave men, living and dead who struggled there."

Lincoln's words ring with truth during treacherous times, and he captures the essence of the Civil War still raging as a challenge left for us all as "a great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion." Amen.

That address is great writing -- personally delivered from the brain and filtered through the heart of one of our greatest leaders. It is brilliant in its design and simple, straightforward tone. Yet, it both honors the participants of the battle and challenges all of us -- the living -- to do the right thing, no matter the terrible cost of freedom. And, it lives on today as inspiration for truth and justice -- let it not "perish from the earth."

You cannot fight the truth. It must be there whether you are writing about a bloody conflict or describing a soup spoon. Producing writing, even if for one's self, demands we speak truly in its relation to facts, correspondence, coherence, and pragmatism. That may seem like a tall order; however, we writers face the challenge every day of devising sentences, assertions, beliefs, thoughts, or propositions that are said, in ordinary discourse, to agree with the facts or to state what is the case.

A writer can feel his words are true: it's just that his words must also "feel truthful" to the readers of his discourse -- they must correspond with valid beliefs and accepted  theories. Going down a dead end -- like defending the Lost Cause of the Confederacy -- is wasted word and thought. I have seen all the concessions made for succession, but the evil is stained in its very being. It's indelibly written dark history is horrid no matter the economics, the slave-holding, or states rights issues of the times. Even slave-master George Washington knew his sinful character in relation to human beings and freedom.

Conclusion

Why do I write? As you can see clearly in this entry, I never know where the words will take me. I just jump onboard and steer my own ship to new destinations --  trusting that sometimes it harbors somewhere with good, clear, and righteous aims, yet sometimes it spins in wide concentric circles leading to nowhere other than oblivion. But, guess what? I never know where the process will take me, but the change of discovery appeals to me so much -- no Global Positioning System would help, nor do I wish for its assistance.

I wonder if I revealed any of my nature today? Did I mention I love dogs, hate snakes, and believe every hot dog -- make mine Nathan's -- should have mustard and onions? Oh, and if you are wondering what my favorite color is, I'd have to admit "purple" in homage to dear old Valley High. I told you I'm not good with narrative story telling or fiction. I'm just an old briar born and raised on U.S. Route 23.

A last shout out to Abe -- "May his truth keep Marching On!" Write on, Brothers and Sisters! *Let your sweet words loose on paper in order to preserve the thoughts and memories. Give it a go!

* We all know of high school annuals and their great worth and appeal. But, what if each class had a scribe whose function would include written descriptions of every school day. Wide open -- small stuff and big, not just major events. Even brief details become priceless. Photos and art could be added, but the words would take center stage. How invaluable would such a journal be? I have read parts of a like piece from years ago at the Lucasville Historical Society (1920's maybe?), and it was marvelous. Where have the words gone? Let's get that project back.

Left-Handed Anomalies -- Why?

 

"Houston’s Yordan Alvarez might be the top left-handed hitter in Major League Baseball. Teammate Framber Valdez ranks among the best left-handed pitchers, too.

"Other than that, those guys are all right.

"Literally — neither player considers himself left-handed at all.

"MLB and its history are dotted with men who played out of their natural handedness, a phenomenon that is seen occasionally in other sports but is a regular occurrence on the diamond. Thumb through a pack of baseball cards from just about any era and you’re likely to see players who bat one way and throw the other. Ask them to sign that card and there’s no telling which hand would hold the pen.

"Valdez writes, eats and even hits (before the introduction of the universal designated hitter) with his right hand. His left arm has helped him make two All-Star teams and throw a no-hitter. What else does he use it for?

“'Nothing, nothing, nothing,' he said with a laugh.

"Valdez simply decided at a young age that he wanted to be a left-handed pitcher.

“'I used to throw lefty every single day, like day by day by day,” he said in Spanish through a translator. 'When I was 11, I felt very comfortable throwing lefty, even though I did everything else righty.'”

(Kristie Rieken. "Who’s really left-handed? In baseball, it can be hard to tell." AP. https://apnews.com/article/mlb-left-handed-4eb62b7acebb3d0e5617bf49b3925049. April 9, 2024.)

Dr. Stephen D. Christman, a professor in the psychology department at the University of Toledo and an expert in handedness, said cases like those aren’t that surprising.

“It’s easier for a lefty to learn to use their right hand than for a righty to learn to use their left hand because most left-handers lean more towards being ambidextrous,” said Christman, who has studied handedness for more than two decades.

Christman said studies have found only 1-2% of people are uniformly left-handed across the 10 activities used to measure handedness, including writing, drawing, throwing, brushing teeth and hair, opening a box and using a spoon. Because lefties are forced to adapt — like when only righty scissors are available — they’re more likely to learn to use both hands.

(Kristie Rieken. "Who’s really left-handed? In baseball, it can be hard to tell." AP. https://apnews.com/article/mlb-left-handed-4eb62b7acebb3d0e5617bf49b3925049. April 9, 2024.)

Go back in history and we find famous lefties like * Charlemagne and Leonardo da Vinci. However, Time Magazine (1969) reported southpaws were once seen as sinister -- "literally, since the word means 'left' -- for centuries. 'In the Middle Ages, for instance, the left-hander lived in danger of being accused of practicing witchcraft," the article explained. "The Devil himself was considered a southpaw, and he and other evil spirits were always conjured up by left-handed gestures.”

 (Lilly Rothman. "How Lefties First Gained Acceptance. TIME. August 13, 2015.)

 * Other famous lefties include Aristotle, Oprah Winfrey, Napoleon Bonaparte, Bill Gates, and Jimi Hendrix. Among U.S. presidents being left handed is nothing new. Barack Obama is the latest to join a long list of left-handed presidents from the 20th century: James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton were all southpaws.

Why the change of the suspicion in public opinion about left-handers? TIME suggested, it was a lot less complicated than anything having to do with evil spirits. It was just a matter of simple economics. 

At the time, lefties had few options in terms of the everyday items that depend on handedness; from sports equipment to kitchen items, most things designed to be held were only optimized for one direction. That situation meant there was an untapped market for leftie goods, just waiting for a smart business owner to jump. And jump they did: a few shops now cater to left-handers who either cannot or will not adjust to a right-handed world. One of the most interesting—run by a righthander, surprisingly—is Anything Left-Handed, Ltd. in London’s West End. 

Smithsonian Magazine reports that the world has gotten progressively more accepting of left-handed folk, but there are still some undeniable bummers  associated with a left-handed proclivity: "desks and spiral notebooks pose a constant battle, scissors are all but impossible to use and–according to some studies–life expectancy might be lower than for right-handed people."

What makes humanity’s bias against lefties all the more unfair is that left-handed people are born that way. In fact, scientists have speculated for years that a single gene could control a left-right preference in humans. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the gene might lie.

(Natasha Geiling. "Why Are Some People Left-Handed?" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-are-some-people-left-handed-6556937/. Smithsonian Magazine. September 12, 2013.)

Now, in a paper published  in PLOS Genetics a group of researchers have identified a network of genes that relate to handedness in humans. What’s more, they’ve linked this preference to the development of asymmetry in the body and the brain.

The hypothesis is a logical response to a key question: If handedness is genetic and if right-handedness is such a dominant trait, why hasn’t left-handedness been forced out of the genetic pool? In reality, the research suggests that handedness could be more subtle than simple “dominant” or “recessive” traits–a whole host of genes might play significant roles.

( William M. Brandler, Andrew P. Morris, David M. Evans, Thomas S. Scerri, John P. Kemp, Nicholas J. Timpson, Beate St Pourcain, George Davey Smith, Susan M. Ring, John Stein, Anthony P. Monaco, Joel B. Talcott, Simon E. Fisher, Caleb Webber, Silvia Paracchini. "Common Variants in Left/Right Asymmetry Genes and Pathways Are Associated with Relative Hand Skill."12 Sep 2013 PLOS Genetics.)

(Anil Chougule, François Lapraz, István Földi, Delphine Cerezo, József Mihály, Stéphane Noselli. "The Drosophila actin nucleator DAAM is essential for left-right asymmetry." Research Article | published 23 Apr 2020 PLOS Genetics.)

 

William Brandler, a PhD student at Oxford University and the paper’s lead author, is confident that even if environmental factors (like the continued hatred of lefties by two-thirds of the world)  place pressure on handedness, any baseline bias still boils down to genetics. “People think it’s just an environmental thing, but you’ve got to think, why is there that initial bias in the first place, and why do you see that bias across all societies? Why aren’t there societies where you see a bias to the left?” Brandler asks.  

The global average of lefties comes in at 10-12 percent. A study in the journal Endeavor recently took on this question: Why are there no left-handers in China? The researchers also looked at India and Islamic countries and discovered that nearly two-thirds of the world’s lefty population faces discrimination.

(Rose Eveleth. "Two-Thirds of the World Still Hates Lefties." Smithsonian Magazine. May 17, 2013.)

(Howard I. Kushner. "Why are there (almost) no left-handers in China?" Endeavour. Volume 37, Issue 2. June 2013.)

 "Why are there so few Chinese left-handers?" has a number of possible answers, including that there are and always have been many left-handers in China, but that the way they were measured determined their prevalence. Alternatively, the differences could be real because as we saw with China, a combination of traditional values and practical considerations seem to have merged to reduce the reported prevalence of left-handedness.

Conclusions

Overall 40% of us are left-eared, 30% are left-eyed and 20% are left-footed. But when it comes to handedness, only approximately 10% of people are lefties.Why could this be? Why are left-handers in the minority?

 In times gone by, left-handedness was drummed out of errant schoolchildren, and oddly negative connotations still linger in our language. The word "left" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "lyft," meaning "weak." And the opposite in Latin is "dexter" which is associated with skill and righteousness.

So what determines whether we are right- or left-handed? From an evolutionary standpoint, specializing with one hand makes sense. Chimpanzees tend to choose a favorite hand for different tasks.

Human ancestry and tracking? Take termite fishing. After selecting the perfect stick, the chimp pokes it into the termite mound, their sense of touch providing a host of information about how deep, wide and full of tasty termites their house may be. Then they’ll gently pull the stick out to reveal their prey, the termites’ jaws clamping down hard on the foreign invader. Unbeknown to them, they are about to get chomped by a hungry chimp. By specializing with one hand, chimps become more dexterous, and more termites bite the dust.

But when primatologists study chimpanzees in the wild, their patterns of handedness look very different to ours. For each task around 50% are right-handed, and 50% left. So where in our evolutionary tree does this 1 in 10 ratio emerge?

An important clue comes from Neanderthals’ teeth. Neanderthals, it turns out, were clever, but clumsy. Our ancestors used their teeth to anchor slabs of meat, whilst they held a knife in their dominant hand to carve it up. Now and again, they would scratch their teeth. The distinctive pattern of grooves in their front incisors reveals which hand must have been holding the food, and which was grasping the knife. Incredibly, when you compare the number of left- and right-handed Neanderthals, this same ratio of 1 in 10 left-handers that we see today pops out.

Consider this amazing fact: babies in the human womb develop preferences. Peter Hepper, from Queen's University in Belfast, has done some wonderful ultrasound studies looking at babies’ movements inside the womb.

He found that nine out of 10 fetuses preferred sucking their right thumb, mirroring the familiar pattern we see in the general population. And when he followed those children up many years later, the babies who were sucking their right thumb in the womb became right-handed, and the ones who preferred their left, stuck with that.

(Hannah Fry. "The mystery of why left-handers are so much rarer." BBC. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160930-the-mystery-of-why-left-handers-are-so-much-rarer. October 3, 2016.)

Still interested in the left-handed mystery. Or, are you worn out? Read this abstract from the National Library of Medicine and see if any of this makes sense to you. As for me, I'm glad the stigma in my country is gone, but I am fascinated at how much of it remains elsewhere. Tradition, genes, customs? I haven't much more than a few clues to the cause of the small number of lefties roaming the world. Did you ever wonder? Now you know and can do more research on your own ... especially you minority numbers of left-handers.

Abstract

"Although most people are right-handed and have language in their left cerebral hemisphere, why that is so, and in particular why about ten per cent of people are left-handed, is far from clear. Multiple theories have been proposed, often with little in the way of empirical support, and sometimes indeed with strong evidence against them, and yet despite that have become modern urban myths, probably due to the symbolic power of right and left. 

"One thinks in particular of ideas of being right-brained or left-brained, of suggestions that left-handedness is due to perinatal brain damage, of claims that left-handers die seven years earlier than right-handers, and of the unfalsifiable ramifications of the byzantine Geschwind-Behan-Galaburda theory. 

"This article looks back over the past fifty years of research on brain asymmetries, exploring the different themes and approaches, sometimes in relation to the author’s own work. 

"Taking all of the work together it is probable that cerebral asymmetries are under genetic control, probably with multiple genetic loci, only a few of which are now beginning to be found thanks to very large databases that are becoming available. 

"Other progress is also seen in proper meta-analyses, the use of fMRI for studying multiple functional lateralisations in large number of individuals, fetal ultra-sound for assessing handedness before birth, and fascinating studies of lateralisation in an ever widening range of animal species. With luck the next fifty years will make more progress and show fewer false directions than had much of the work in the previous fifty years."

 (Chris McManus. "Half a century of handedness research: Myths, truths; fictions, facts; backwards, but mostly forwards." Brain Neurosci Adv. Jan-Dec 2019. 3: 2398212818820513.)