A door, a piece of wood shaped and cut in order to serve as an access to a house, a building or any other sheltered place. A door is not simply this : its moral definition surpasses from afar its material one in its own way.
In Tunisia, the door is a symbol. For Tunisians, the house door reflects the luck and happiness that the inhabitants of the house may have. A house whose door has "bad luck" does not warrant occupying and should be deserted as soon as possible.
On the other hand, there exist doors of notable beauty. Those of the Arabic quarters in the Medina and those of Sidi Bou Said, a small town in the north of Tunisia situated on the edge of a mountain, facing the Mediterranean sea, and coloured white and blue, are typical Tunisian doors. They never cease to attract the tourist camera or the painter's brushes.
The door is a subject unto itself. It could be investigated and analysed at length by one seeking the deepest significance of objects, to highlight their real value and to measure the fullness of their meaning.
A closed door intrigues: what could be hidden behind its wooden surface? So many people, so many stories lived, so many crucial decisions, more or less important, have been taken, so many new discoveries have seen the day behind closed doors.
A door represents a new entry, a new opportunity in life. How many people have difficulties opening doors in their professional and social lives? How many have had the opportunity to cross the threshold of a door and had their lives completely transformed?
In the destiny of each one of us, there are so many doors waiting to be opened. How does one know which door to open and go through? Many doors do not let you turn back; they open to a view from a branch of the huge tree called life. This branch is, for sure, distinct from the one that we would see if we went through the door just opposite.
Only intuition and the deepest messages coming from within can guide us to the doors that can elevate us to higher levels, hoping to attain wisdom and inner peace, where resides eternal happiness.
I wish all readers of these spontaneous thoughts to be blessed with doors that are easy to open; that transport them to skies of their own dreams. However, if I may modestly give a piece of advice, I would say: "In life, always keep the doors open, we never know when the miracle will happen." Life is beautiful, come in through the big door.
16, November 1999
Dr. Thouraya Daouas
