A Too Comfortable Complacency…

It is safe to rely on the old assumption often cited, that what we don’t know won’t hurt us—that what we don’t see or sense won’t hurt us. It is possible to be hurt without knowing it: It is possible to have a crumbling foundation without knowing when it will fall. It is possible to have a termite-weakened structure, without seeing it on the surface. It is possible to have a malignancy without at this moment feeling its effects. And saying that what happens is of no concern, unless we feel its effects, is not a safe assumption. To cite a striking sentence: “…what is going to happen is already happening.” Dishonesty, deception, immorality, evil of all kinds can run rampant without our being very aware of what is happening. We are lulled at times by a too comfortable complacency. “I have observed a number of superficially contented men and women,” said John P.Marquand, “and I maintain they are dangerous. Personally, I am glad to say there are a lot of things today with which I am not contented…. I fear the contented man. I fear him because there is no progress unless there is discontent. Without it today, I even believe, there can be no inner peace of mind.” It takes courage to face uncomfortable facts, but for the trust and respect of other people as well as for our own safety and personal peace, we must know what is happening and must be concerned about principles and conduct that can be counted on, and anything dishonest or deceptive is an evil, whether we know it or not. The assumption that what we don’t know won’t hurt us simply isn’t so.