Complacency vs. Contentment

Recently I heard someone complain that complacency was one of the worst human characteristics one can have. Being complacent suggests smugness, laziness, aloofness and other negative connotations. But whenever I hear the word "complacent" I always think--but isn't that also contentment?? And contentment brings out warm and fuzzy feelings of happiness, love and general well being.
So what's the deal??? I looked both words up in my mini Websters dictionary, and alas, no clarity was achieved. Complacency means smug, which by definition is: self-satisfied. Content is simply defined as "satisfied". Huh? In other words being self-satisfied is bad, but being satisfied is good, yet they technically mean the same thing. (ok, so maybe a smug person brags about it--but when is bragging a bad thing in our society?)

So that's what I was afraid of. These words are so similar that nobody wants to admit that -hey contentment isn't really a good thing either. These two words fascinate me so, because our whole western civilization is driven by the fear of complacency. By being complacent , (i.e. content) one would be satisfied with their small house, older car, outdated jeans and ragged lawn....and that would be bad for the economy and even worse, your neighbors would laugh at you behind your back.
Of course, I can't say I recommend contentment with bad hygiene, deviant behavior and such, but economic contentment would be a relief! Not only to our environment but help curb some stress to boot. But with economic contentment, comes a stagnant economy--which is a shame, that we can't develop a whole new system--based on people actually being satisfied and that being a good thing.

Luxury Creates Weakness and Boredom

One of our Founding Fathers, (and I can't remember whom at the moment) was once quoted as saying that he feared the American capitalistic society would become so wealthy and successful that the citizens would become weak.
Weak, as in unable to do the physically taxing activities one may need in order to survive. Some things he may have thought of: haul water, walk twelve miles, chop firewood, farm...
Now if only he would see many of the average citizens of today. Obese, inactive, stuck at the mall with a soda in one hand, cell phone in the other. Whining about the thread count of their bed sheets and that there are only 99 stations on the big screen TV.... (It is interesting to note that many citizens are so fixated on the luxury of the automobile that we have allowed whole cities to be built without considering for public transportation or bike and walking paths..)
But I regress. To the fear of the citizens becoming too weak to care for themselves, I wanted to add my own observation--they become unable to amuse themselves as well!!
The luxury of having a brand new house, new car, clothes galore, heat on demand, dishwashers and clothes dryers, riding mowers and a leaf blower, leaves many U.S. citizens scratching their inactive little heads wondering what to do with all this free time. (of course they don't admit it, and claim they are busy, busy--but the truth is TV viewing time is up, up, up..)
I have known those that admit they are "bored" all weekend. And I do all I can to refrain from strangling them. Let them lament about all the movie rentals, channel surfing and senseless cell phone calls they make all day. Or look at the teens and tweens and inbetweens. Roaming the materialistic malls, with a phone in one ear, ipod in the other...miserable in their own boredom.

Too bad nobody recognizes this. That if they just replaced the leaf blower with a rake, parked the car and walked, tried to sew their own dress, or grow a vegetable-instantly the boredom and even some of weakness would disappear!