Overcoming obstacles

Picture this, you and the kids are attending a Disney on Ice production at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Then the worst happens. Fire breaks out.

In a perfect world everyone would calmly and quickly walk to an exit to escape the flames.

As we all know the world is not perfect so what is more likely to happen is that panic sets in and people would rush blindly to the nearest exit creating complete pandemonium.

Before long, all the exits would be jammed with people trying to get out with the horrible result being that no one left inside the stadium would be able to get out!

So, the problem with getting everyone out of a burning stadium is that all the exits would be totally jammed because of the unhelpful, but totally understandable behaviour of everyone panicking.

Interestingly, it has been shown that the best way to ensure the exits remain unjammed is to place an obstacle directly in front of the exit. This forces people to go around the obstacle before they can go through the exit. Many lives could be saved if there were obstacles placed in front of exits........ (How dumb does that sound?)

I learnt this when watching the science show Catalyst one night. See the story Panic Dynamic for yourself.

It occurred to me this morning when returning home from the supermarket that roundabouts work on this principle too. Think about it. A busy intersection, no traffic lights and no roundabout. Could be stuck in traffic for ages while the cars in front are giving way to everyone else and all you want to do is go straight ahead.

Now think about a busy intersection, no traffic lights still, but it has a roundabout. Traffic flows smoothly and quickly.........

Does all this change your perception of obstacles in your life? Perhaps we should embrace obstacles instead of moaning about them? Perhaps the are trying to tell us something.

What do others think?



Hmmmmm
Until my next post
Sharon