Dr. Richard Swenson suggests a different way in his book Margin . He suggests an approach to life that neglects no important area. He suggests being willing to sacrifice excellence in one or two areas in order that no area be in a condition of negative excellence. This would be similar to the athlete who is toned and conditioned all over, but not overly developed in any one area. A similar balance in our lives will increase our emotional margin because we and and our families will be happier.
Simplicity has much to offer harried twentieth-century man.
But it isn't easy. It takes effort to discard the superfluous and concentrate on the core elements of life. The simple life the author calls us to is not so much to escape modern life as to transcend it. Envy is the enemy of contentment and form of self-inflicted torture. Yet because envy is the chief ingredient of advertising and the mainspring of political and social movements, it is difficult for many to see its destructiveness.