Photo Credit: neil conway via Compfight cc
It’s been said that civilisation is easier to describe than to define. There are numerous aspects of any definition you find – economic, religious, political, educational. I want to focus on what I consider the most important aspect of an enduring civilisation: writing.
Writing preserves. Without writing, a country’s economic policies won’t continue or advance. Without codification, a religion’s followers won’t continue in those ways. If a nation’s political structure isn’t compiled, then the intent and interpretation of political systems can’t persist. Without writing, songs and stories are lost, histories are misconstrued or forgotten, information dematerializes, knowledge is lost, memories vaporize.
Your policies need to be written. In defense of those who shy away from that dreaded word “documentation” – it’s often quite boring, tedious, prosaic. But how can one evaluate and improve on something that doesn’t exist? In defence of your company and career, you need to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).
I know that our organisations are only a small part of a larger civilisation. Nevertheless, if you want your security policies to be passed on; if you desire your security structure and intent to be understood; if you would like to look back at last year and see what can stay the same and what needs to be polished; if you wish for your company to remain safe whether you’re there or not – then you need to do the civilised thing: write.
