Re: Left or right? How to determine?

[chasbo@xxxxxxxxx]

Thanks for all your comments.

I've found this little exercise interesting and revealing; never gave
it much thought before.

Though not quite clear in my message, my intent was to determine how
the left and right side of a building is defined, so that I can direct
people to that location orally or by printed word, using the
adjectives left and right.  I am beginning to believe that there is no
standard or universally accepted protocol for buildings.

In my search I have found that some people say the left side is the
side of the building that is to the left of the front of the building
as viewed from outside the building while facing the front of the
building.  [For this exercise the front is the portion of the building
that contains the main entrance, front door, etc., as defined by the
architect/builder, and in most cases is easily recognized by all of us
when we arrive at any building.]

Therefore it follows that the left and right of something in many
cases is what the viewer says it is based on the viewer's location.
It's a temporary designation with no permanence attached to the viewed
object, and has no lasting importance, as in, "Hey, Joe, look at that
blonde, over there to the left of that tree!"

However, the left and the right side of many things remains fixed
forever and of great importance regardless of the position of the
viewer, and if instructed to locate a particular side, we all know
where it is or where to go without hesitation, for example:

The left lane of a multiple-lane highway, the left side of a car, bus,
train, plane; the left pocket in a pair of pants, a left shoe.

A common practice to facilitate the flow of pedestrian traffic, and
which mimics vehicular flow, appears in wide usage:   Most people stay
to the right of oncoming pedestrian traffic, whereby the oncoming flow
passes us on the left. The sidewalk has no left or right designation,
only the pedestrian flow. And the practice seems to have permanence.

My garage:  In all my 50 years of home ownership my garage has not and
will not rise to the level of importance to earn a permanent left and
right designation. Consequently I need a few more words when issuing a
directive. When I direct my daughter to fetch a rake from the garage I
say, "It's on the far left when you go through the overhead door."

Should a house or building rise to the level of importance that they
have a fixed and permanent designation as to left and right,
regardless of the position of the viewer?

Will continue to search for an answer.

Thanks all.

Charlie