"Complacency is the enemy of study. We cannot really learn anything until we rid ourselves of complacency." - Mao Tse-Tung. Complacency, or being satisfied with the present state of being, closes the door on knowledge and innovation. Ignorance is the ultimate cause of complacency, and changes that could better society cannot be made because of close-minded people who are complacent. One example of this is the Amish community. They refuse to accept modern ideologies, although such things as up-to-date medicine and technology could dramatically improve their lives for the better. In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, it is apparent that complacency has taken a toll on the people of Maycomb. It ultimately causes the death of an innocent man simply because the townspeople refuse to change their views. Complacency has negative results because it thwarts any chance of development.

Tom Robinson's guilty verdict shows the complacency of...