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a large part of our history, we've been tempted to isolate ourselves
by virtue of our splendid intelligence. We settled on brain mass,
for a while. Pretty smart, except that somebody figured out that
some cetaceans have bigger brains than ours…a whale of a blow
to our image. Okay, so maybe it's our language ability. But then
some know-it-alls proved that chimpanzees and gorillas could be
taught to communicate perfectly intelligibly in human sign language.
So, you know what seems to be our most distinguishing feature? Yup,
it's that fifth digit. The thumb.
As a matter
of fact, some Darwinian types postulate that when we came down
from the trees, we adapted by growing these opposable thumbs and,
in order to do so, the forward and upper portions of our brains
had to enlarge. Mechanically, opposable thumbs gave us superior
tool-using ability and our specialized brains gave us the keenness
to apply the right too to the right task. Thumbs up!
In hand analysis,
the thumb counts for more than any of the other digits. It tells
us about the person's potential to take matters in hand. To control.
To mold. To get things under one's thumb. A big thumb shows a
greater potential than a small one to get results.
Some of the
essentials to accomplishment are concentrated in the three segments
of the thumb. The end segment represents the will, the determination,
the force of spirit necessary in making things happen. The middle
segment is discernment. Here we find, according to length, width,
and texture, how much you rely on your own perceptions of your
environment and your relation to it. In the lower segment, we
can assess your capacity for expressing what wants to be said.
If all three segments are large and well developed, so is your
ability to get results.
There are
other factors to consider. Does the thumb emerge from the palm
close to the base or higher up? The lower the set, the more effortlessly
the results are manifest. Is the thumb stiff or flexible? (Are
you more rigid or more flexible in your approach? Either way has
advantages and disadvantages.)
Press down
on the end of the thumb' if you are the kind of person who bends
over backwards for others, so will your thumb. And if the end
segment turns red or purple, you aren't happy about bending over
backwards. Put your hands up as if you were playing pat-a-cake:
do you hold your thumbs in, close to the fingers, or out at 90
degrees, or somewhere in between? A right angle shows the most
willingness to wield control, while a closed thumb is more on
the receiving end of control.
Oh boy. Now
you can go around checking thumbs and learn quite a bit about
a person. But first, check for feathers.
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