Book Review – The Overload Syndrome
Image: The Overload Syndrome by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 5 out of 10. A Christian book that looks at the problems of overconsumption and unrealistic expectations from several different viewpoints and continues to explore the theme of overload and margin that the author introduced in his earlier book Margin.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD / 3.16.2022; No. 80
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Star Rating – 5 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author
Richard Swenson
About the author
Richard Swenson, MD, is a family practice doctor who focuses on cultural medicine and studies the intersection of health, culture, faith, and the future. He is the author of several books on progress and its effects on people.
General description
The Overload Syndrome is a book that explores the problems of modernity and being overly busy from a Christian perspective. The author goes into depth on different areas of life that are impacted when people are overscheduled and overly stressed, which he refers to as “overload.” In this book, Dr. Swenson continues to look at the problem of overload that he wrote about in his earlier book, Margin, and he offers specific strategies for preventing or combatting overload. Topics covered in this book include:
Addressing the “Reality of Human Limits”
Examples of the acceleration of technology and progress
Statistics on the problems of abundance and too many choices
Viewing overload from different perspectives, such as:
Debt
Possessions
Media consumption
Work
Stress
Lack of free time
Unique and most important aspects
The Overload Syndrome covers much of the same territory as Dr. Swenson’s earlier book Margin, so it has less of a unique feel or message than its predecessor. In this book, Dr. Swenson includes a copious amount of statistics and quotes on excess, imbalance, and stress, yet he goes into more depth on what is commonly referred to as “burnout.” A downside of all the statistics the author provided is that the data is outdated (this book was published in 1998), however, the author’s recommendations for fixing overload remain helpful and practical. Of note, the author had more frequent moralizing in this book compared to his book Margin.
Best quotes
“Generally speaking, loads are a good thing. We would be hopelessly bored without them. As a matter of fact, even though this is an anti-overload book, I am a pro-load person. Load is not the enemy. Overload is.”
“But the Bible never says that we are unlimited. It says that God is unlimited. There is a difference.”
“Progress works by differentiating our environment.”
“Progress automatically leads to increasing overload, marginlessness, speed, change, stress, and complexity.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in a historical book that continues the theme of overload and margin that the author introduced in his earlier book Margin would likely enjoy The Overload Syndrome.
Who would not enjoy this book?
People who are interested in a more timeless book on the concepts of overload and margin would not likely enjoy The Overload Syndrome and, instead, would likely enjoy Dr. Swenson’s book Margin (See Len’s Book Review).
Conclusion
The Overload Syndrome is a Christian book that looks at the problems of overconsumption and unrealistic expectations from several different viewpoints and continues to explore the theme of overload and margin that the author introduced in his earlier book Margin.
