@scubydoo I don’t think its that odd to have switches on both sides of a room. Let’s say you’re walking into a dark room that has tables, chairs, etc. Would you rather stumble through the room to get to the light switch…or turn it on as soon as you enter the room. This way no matter which way you enter the room, you can have light. Also, if you are headed in one direction through a room that has two entrances (or exits), why not turn off the light as you exit?
It’s all about prospective. It sounds crazy to me to think that people have switches that you have to flip down to turn on the lights! I think of “up” as a positive word. Stocks are up, keep your head up, or things are looking up. Turning on a light is a positive action as well. The room was dark, and now it has light. In the same sense, I associate “up” with “on” and “down” with “off”. “On” has a positive connotation and “off” is negative to me.
But, I think another reason is because the lights are in the ceiling, most of the time (excluding lamps and other lighted devices). Somebody a long time ago probably thought it made sense to have the switch pointing at the lights in the ceiling to signify that the light was on. As stupid as that sounds, I’m sure it has something to do with checking the circuits when installing wiring or lighting.