New age thought not enough

Julia "Butterfly" Hill visited Cal State Long Beach Tuesday, bringing her message of environmentalism and mysticism to about 250 students.

Unfortunately, mysticism won't cut it when trying to save the environment. Hill is full of contradictions that will likely lead her followers down the path of ineffectual, feel-good liberalism instead of real, material change in our cultural attitudes toward the environment.

New age philosophy may rally a few environmental soldiers, but it's hard to imagine a political movement developing around Hill's and other's pseudo-spiritual beliefs. And ultimately, it's politics that will rule the day.

This is not to say Hill hasn't been useful to the cause of environmentalism. Her stint living in a redwood tree for two years brought much need media attention to the cause, however on a wider scale he actions are a drop in the bucket.

Without mass action taken to change our culture, politics and economy, nothing will stop the jugernaught of environmental exploitation that is wreaking havoc across the earth.

No single individual has ever changed the world. It has always taken the actions of many people unified around a single ideology to cause change.

Can you imagine Hill's new age philosophy being the catalyst for such a movement?

The cynical media will always seek out the "Butterflys," because their non-confrontational message of peace activism is easy to digest for so many laconic and apathetic Americans.