Rules are cautionary tales

Every rule exists because of a prior failure. There's a story behind every single number.

As a technician I filled out that binder every morning—the meters, the levels, the RO percent rejection, the chlorine checks every four hours—and I knew it was important, but I didn't know the story behind any of it. Once you understand the why and the consequence, the rules stop being arbitrary. They read as cautionary tales.

Learn the why, and compliance stops feeling like following orders. It becomes remembering what went wrong before.