Contentment is Stagnation..

Is contentment an overvalued virtue? Is it not merely the precursor to stagnation of ambition and eventually its cessation?
Contentment has been credited with the ability of freeing you from the demonic influences of envy and creed and to help you achieve a self identity and spiritual sanctuary for your soul.Yet one cannot but question if the same philosophy is antithetical to the paradigm of growth in life. Is contentment to be shunned as something leading to decadence and stagnation?
This one is a big paradox of our times.Should one be contended and incapable of moving forward, or should one always examine what is lacking in his life and aim to fill the gaps?The first thing that merits attention is the need to understand the subtle distinction between contentment and complacency.Contentment is a profound state of mind and unlike complacency, it cannot result from cognitive assessment or external recognition of a tangible accomplishment.Neither does it emanate from from the acceptance and rationalisation of an actual unsatisfactory state of affairs.Genuine contentment is an existential philosophy that can be reached only when one has a deep-seated sense of the meaning and purpose of life.Thus, while complacency can be reduced to a set of behavioural responses, such as lethargy towards moving in search of progress, spiritual contentment does not come in the way of one's pursuit of his true calling.