Complacency

I came across the word "complacency" for the July 15 topic in my copy of the Al-Anon book One Day at a Time and it tripped me. It triggered me. Al-Anon information isn't supposed to trigger people this way but that topic is dealt with on the July 18 page which is another topic entirely.

"Complacency" isn't a word that comes to mind for me when I speak or write or even when I think verbally. It's not in my typical personal lexicon. But this Al-Anon book seems to define the word using a definition that I might use for the term "self-righteousness" and that just didn't seem to click for me. My understanding of the word "complacency" - in itself based on my own complacency - is more like the phrase, "Hey if it ain't broke don't fix it." In other words if the way something is isn't worth it to you to fix, if the flaws are acceptable, then why bother fixing it? Just be satisfied with the way it is. Holding perfectionists in disdain could and I would assume often does lead to complacency but I'm inclined to think that in my understanding of the use of the word, people who either fear change or are just too lazy to bother making the effort would tend to behave complacently towards it, towards changing things.

Dictionary definitions don't tend to step on toes but the dictionary definitions - to me at least - seem to support that meaning. You don't deliberately overlook danger because you have a problem with self-righteousness. The results might be the same, but the motivations you use to achieve the results are quite different. I might justify my laziness by acting self-righteously but self-righteousness doesn't necessarily equate to laziness nor does avoiding self-righteousness cure complacency.

So with that in mind, I'll have to re-read the July 15 page, won't I? Maybe when it's not the middle of the night, though...