Actually, VedalkenBear, and I mean no offense when I say that I think you're the one reading a little bit too much into my post
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It was just an idle thought-I wasn't trying to lay out 500 years of history as would occur without a crucial piece of technology, I was just speculating-brainstorming, if you will. If I'd been doing more, I would have tried to give sources and references, and I certainly would have researched more into it. I really was just aiming for conversation-and just maybe to get people who read it thinking in new directions, if possible.
And you're right, "peaceful" is a much better term for most of what I meant than "complacent". I just couldn't think of a better term at the time. I meant "complacent" in that they were happy with their culture as they had it, and were satisfied to keep it as it was-ofcourse, as you say, doing their very best to keep it stable-but not that they were apathetic or lazy about it.