How do Doors Work?
My friends, I finally did it! I finally figured out how doors work! You may not have known that this was something I've been trying to understand, but pretty much since I started college last year, I've been trying to understand doors. There's just something confusing about the way architects design entrances to buildings. Have you ever thought about this or wondered why doors were made the way they were? Let me explain what's going on in my mind.
Most large buildings that are expecting a significant amount of pedestrian traffic will have what we call "double doors." That's two doors side by side, theoretically one for entering, and one for exiting. My school actually has two sets of double doors in most cases, but either way, the theory remains the same. I believe the architectural idea is to streamline the traffic so that a constant flow of people can enter and exit the building simultaneously. Unfortunately, they forgot to consider physics. Not the physics of how doors open on hinges, and not the mathematics about squeezing doors into the smallest amount of space possible. No, they forgot the physics of how people actually open doors.
Think about this, and if you can't imagine it, go find a set of double doors and try it out. When you're walking up to a door, trying to enter a building, let's say you're trying to go in the right side door. This means that the hinge is on your right, and the door handle is on the left. Remember, your goal is to go through the doorway, so as you reach to open the door, your body is actually halfway in front of the right side door (the one you're trying to go through), and halfway in front of the left side door (the door that someone else is trying to come out of). I have seen this and done this every day for months as I've gone to school. It's always true. In all those physics calculations about doors, they forgot that in order to go through a door, some individual is going to have to walk around the edge of the door and therefore, will be blocking the exit door. This, of course, blocks the exiting traffic, which means that doors don't work!
Well, as I said in the second sentence, I actually did find out how doors work. It's just that we generally use them wrong. I'll bet you didn't know it was possible to use doors wrong! :) The goal in my door studies was to find a way to unblock the exit door while opening the entrance door. I ran through a multitude of inconvenient options, like redesigning doors to give a little more space between them which just takes up more space; or putting doorknobs on the opposite side of each other, which might lead to two doors crashing into each other.
After months of fruitless thinking, I finally found the correct way to open a door. It's very simple. Stop trying to go through the door. You see, if you're trying to go through the door when you open it, you'll streamline your movement and energy so that you can open that door as little as possible to be able to maneuver around the edge of the door and into the building. This is what blocks the exit door. Instead, open the door with the intention of holding it open for someone else. You will eliminate any problem with blocked traffic. Don't believe me? Go find that set of double doors and open the door as if there were someone behind you waiting to walk through. Also remember to keep your body entirely behind the door you're opening. It's a little counterintuitive at first because we've been raised to open doors incorrectly, but all you need is a little practice.
Every time I walk through a door I think about the architects who designed double doors. Whoever they were, I wonder if they thought beyond the physics of a door and intentionally designed doors to be held open for others. A door is such a simple object. Yet what a constant reminder it is. As we're going through life, our goal isn't to get through the door. Our goal is to look around and see how many others we can bring through the door before us. Sometimes we hold the door, sometimes the door is held for us. We continue this journey with each one holding the door for the last. When we've all made it through, after a long life of holding the door and waiting for others, we'll make it to the last door of all. The door to a beautiful place filled with marvelous things. The door held open by our Savior, who does understand how doors work and who won't be going through the door Himself, until all of us have made it to the other side.
Most large buildings that are expecting a significant amount of pedestrian traffic will have what we call "double doors." That's two doors side by side, theoretically one for entering, and one for exiting. My school actually has two sets of double doors in most cases, but either way, the theory remains the same. I believe the architectural idea is to streamline the traffic so that a constant flow of people can enter and exit the building simultaneously. Unfortunately, they forgot to consider physics. Not the physics of how doors open on hinges, and not the mathematics about squeezing doors into the smallest amount of space possible. No, they forgot the physics of how people actually open doors.Think about this, and if you can't imagine it, go find a set of double doors and try it out. When you're walking up to a door, trying to enter a building, let's say you're trying to go in the right side door. This means that the hinge is on your right, and the door handle is on the left. Remember, your goal is to go through the doorway, so as you reach to open the door, your body is actually halfway in front of the right side door (the one you're trying to go through), and halfway in front of the left side door (the door that someone else is trying to come out of). I have seen this and done this every day for months as I've gone to school. It's always true. In all those physics calculations about doors, they forgot that in order to go through a door, some individual is going to have to walk around the edge of the door and therefore, will be blocking the exit door. This, of course, blocks the exiting traffic, which means that doors don't work!
Well, as I said in the second sentence, I actually did find out how doors work. It's just that we generally use them wrong. I'll bet you didn't know it was possible to use doors wrong! :) The goal in my door studies was to find a way to unblock the exit door while opening the entrance door. I ran through a multitude of inconvenient options, like redesigning doors to give a little more space between them which just takes up more space; or putting doorknobs on the opposite side of each other, which might lead to two doors crashing into each other.
After months of fruitless thinking, I finally found the correct way to open a door. It's very simple. Stop trying to go through the door. You see, if you're trying to go through the door when you open it, you'll streamline your movement and energy so that you can open that door as little as possible to be able to maneuver around the edge of the door and into the building. This is what blocks the exit door. Instead, open the door with the intention of holding it open for someone else. You will eliminate any problem with blocked traffic. Don't believe me? Go find that set of double doors and open the door as if there were someone behind you waiting to walk through. Also remember to keep your body entirely behind the door you're opening. It's a little counterintuitive at first because we've been raised to open doors incorrectly, but all you need is a little practice.
Every time I walk through a door I think about the architects who designed double doors. Whoever they were, I wonder if they thought beyond the physics of a door and intentionally designed doors to be held open for others. A door is such a simple object. Yet what a constant reminder it is. As we're going through life, our goal isn't to get through the door. Our goal is to look around and see how many others we can bring through the door before us. Sometimes we hold the door, sometimes the door is held for us. We continue this journey with each one holding the door for the last. When we've all made it through, after a long life of holding the door and waiting for others, we'll make it to the last door of all. The door to a beautiful place filled with marvelous things. The door held open by our Savior, who does understand how doors work and who won't be going through the door Himself, until all of us have made it to the other side.
I realize that none of these photographs are images of doors, but doors are a little boring to look at ;) Today I chose images reminiscent of journeys, after all, the doors are found on our journey. And I can imagine the Savior waiting to take me around the next bend.
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