Greg ... in the example I just gave ... you can see that it's just not possible to do that!
Let's look at it once again:
You enter a dark stairwell, lights are off, all switch handles are 'down.' So far, so good.
You flip one switch up, and you have light. You proceed down the stairs.
As you exit the stairwell, you want to turn the lights off. This switch has remained 'down' from the start. To turn off the lights, you have to flip the switch 'up.'
On your return trip, you would eventually return things to a 'down is off' state. If you exited the area by another route, however, it's anyone's guess what position the switch will be in.
For example, the next person to repeat your exact trip would turn the lights on by flipping the first switch 'down,' then turn off the lights by flipping the second switch 'down.'
In short, the orientation of the switch has absolutely no connection to the way it was installed.
