Order and information design

This is a snap of an academic friend's filing system. Being an anally retented male who used to spot trains, I can only gasp in admiration for the order of his cabinet. What is this bizarre urge some men have to categorise and order their lives to such a strong degree? For me, above practical concerns, it seems to me to be a desire to avoid too much chaos in an already chaotic world. But it is also a fear of loss, of disappearance and of leaving no traces behind.

I can't decide if the dictum to 'leave no traces' is a good thing or a bad thing.