Fatal Complacency

“Carelessness kills; complacency is murder.” (Proverbs 1:32 MSG)

Complacency is a smug satisfaction with oneself. It is a toxic disregard for the consequences of one’s own negligence. If a child is careless with a toy, the damage is minimal. However, when those in power are irresponsible, the repercussions to humanity are exponential. 

In the last few months, we have witnessed how carelessness kills.  Politicians first called the pandemic a hoax. They downplayed the severity of the virus. They restricted testing so as to keep the numbers of positive cases artificially low. They debunked scientific data. They steered the public with disinformation until the disease had spread. Then, they recklessly pushed drugs that could cause more harm than good. They didn’t listen to physicians or scientists; instead, they promoted their own hunches and conspiracy theories. They refused to take responsibility for their mistakes. Instead, they continued, smugly satisfied with themselves, unconcerned about their negligence. They got away with complacent murder.