Civilizations live and die based on memory

I have lived a life like Forrest Gump, always in the background doing things where famous people and events converge. At the US Federal Transit Administration I got to see how the maglev and all their projects and initiatives were designed and handled. It was systemically rotten – the system forgetting what it has done and knows – not keeping and sharing the whole picture and context with all who could make a difference. Countries, cities, corporations, civilizations are primarily memory and when that is allowed to die, so does the civilization. The more complex, the more important and complete the memory required.