Show Notes: https://justinfimlaid.com/without-wax:-the-quest-for-perfection/

Sponsor: https://www.nuharborsecurity.com

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Twitter: @justinfimlaid

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I had an English

Teacher in  High School that was big on

Etymology.  If you aren't familiar with

Etymology, its history of how certain words came to be. What I like about

Etymology is the stories behind certain words. 

This teacher was one the few teachers I actually liked in High School,

and I hated English classes so I guess that says a lot.  One word, and one his lessons has always

stuck with me.  That word in

Sincere.  Sincere is from the Latin words

Sin Cera.  In Latin Sin is “without” and

Cera is “wax”.

The story of Sin

Cera dates back to ancient Roman times. 

The artistry from that time period was seen in statues and ornate marble

pillars.  What was significant about that

time period is that artists were appreciated for their perfection.  An apprentice could work for most of their

life in a specific craft, trade, or artistry…they’d only do that one

thing.  An apprentice might spend years

learning how to pick the right type of marble, or they'd spend years learning

how to carve a specific type of statue, or spend years learning how to polish a

statue.  The best artists were PERFECT.

Whats interesting

about the best artists from Roman Times and the ones that sculpted Marble is

that they embodied perfection in their craft. 

They would carve perfect sculptures or perfect marble pillars. 

For All the other

artists trying to make a name for themselves, who cut corners in their trade

and lacked experience used wax to cover their mistakes.  They would use wax to fill holes, cracks and

mistakes.  The nice thing about wax is it

could be smoothed and polished to look like marble.  It could be plastered over and it could be

painted over.  For most buyers they could

not determine which was artificial Sin Cera or with out wax.  And in some cases they’d never know until the

artist was long gone. 

Today when we say we

are Sincere, it generally means we’re honest. 

But origins of Sincere also means you are without wax and perfect in

your craft.

The reason I bring

this up, it seems to be relevant as of late. 

I see more folks and companies trying to capitalize on the Security

market.  I understand the push, it’s

capitalism in full-swing.  However, I see

folks working in the security space who are really confused and are granted

trust because of a title, position, or certification.  If you are in Security as a buyer or

supplier, whether inside your own company or a third party…and you claim to do

security, you need to actually do it. 

Let me clarify what I mean by that.

What I mean by that

is you have an obligation to continuously learn because the threat landscape is

constantly shifting.