Inspired and Overwhelmed

Vowles' sections on causes and ways to be an activist pertaining to the environment are clearly, and deeply researched. He has no trouble whatsoever digging into deep reserves of knowledge, though his focus on opinion leaves only the tip of the iceberg that is this knowledge exposed. Nonetheless, he writes in such a way that sweeps you along.

However, for all of his style and knowledge, Vowles undercuts his own efforts. The purpose of 21st Century Hippies is, after all, to inspire readers to become activists or to rediscover activism.

For, after reading through these two sections, I certainly do feel inspired, and I find myself wondering which "take-action" points best suit my own abilities, but I also feel overwhelmed. There are so many things that need fixing, and though he skirts being alarmist about the consequences of environmental irresponsibility and the prevalence of violence and the socialization of violence in Western society, Vowles still makes the things that need to be changed seem gargantuan.

A world in which we consume only what we need to? A world without war? Vowles is very clearly getting into idealism when he notes such ideas and a proponent or two of them, but he doesn't provide any insight into what a society between the present and such utopias might look like. Such speculation falls outside the ken of his book, but having a mid-way landmark or two would be helpful.

Otherwise, Vowles' book reads well heading into the ninth chapter, and has done wonders for getting my mind onto an activist track. Editorial issues are also much less frequent in these sections.