Where do you draw the line?

I%26#039;ve stopped eating meat, and consuming milk (directly, i%26#039;ve come to accept the fact that it is virtually impossible to avoid small traces of milk in pre-packaged foods) and eggs (which i avoid in all purchased foods but use rspca approved for my pasta, which is about half a dozen a fortnight). I%26#039;ve turned to Natio so that my body care and makeup are animal cruelty free (except lipsticks which i don%26#039;t wear anyway.





So whats my prob? I need shoes... and i live in rural tasmania, and i%26#039;m financially limited, and i need good shoes for my upcoming trip to Nz, and i can%26#039;t find any non-crappy, non-leather shoes here!





But most of all, i struggle with drawing the line as far as what i use and consume that contains animal products. i%26#039;m limited in my location, and try where i can to avoid them but do i? When am i just making excuses? I want to save these animals from suffering, so should i just buy these crappy shoes and be done with it? Why does the world make it so impossible!!

Where do you draw the line?
Tough question, Jai, but I guess you draw the line at practicality. I don%26#039;t always understand why vegetarians feel compelled to give up milk and eggs, since animals are kept alive---not killed-- to produce those products. However, I grew up on a dairy farm and at that time, everything was %26quot;free range.%26quot; If you avoid them because of the living conditions of the animals, I understand that. In my state, the dairy cattle still roam the pastures and move from the mountains to the valleys in winter and summer. I don%26#039;t know much about chicken farms. We get eggs from a friend and her chickens are totally %26quot;free range.%26quot; I avoid meat, but do have to wear leather belts and boots where I live. (Western U.S. state that still has working cowboys). My logic is that the animals were not killed for their hides. They were killed for their meat and the leather is just a useable py-product. That%26#039;s somewhat of a cop-out, I know, but I live in the state that had the largest cattle drive in history a fews weeks ago and have a lot of rancher friends. If everyone quit wearing leather, the death of cattle would not decrease. These are beef cattle raised for their meat. On the other hand, I would not wear ostrich or alligator boots. These are animals killed primary for their skin (I think). I know some people eat ostrich and perhaps alligators, but that is not common in the U.S. Also, my leather boots last me (and I%26#039;m serious) 20 years of more. I%26#039;m doing less environmental harm by wearing leather than by buying crappy artificial materials that have to be replaced frequently. In life, sometimes we just have to make tough choices out of practicality. To really be environmentally conscious, you would need to know how the artifical shoes were manufactured and how much energy was used to do so; how much pollution resulted--a lot of stuff that would be hard to learn. If you use leather, your inquiries are much more limited. You know the animal was raised and killed, but it wasn%26#039;t killed just to create leather. Anyway, very good question.
Reply:You draw the line where you feel most comfortable drawing it. The transition from vegetarianism into veganism is a fluid concept with no 100%. The baseline is set, but after that we find where we feel most comfortable and most able to succeed. Right now you are making good progress in your vegetarianism. When you feel ready to take the next step, then you take it.





The only people who %26quot;fail%26quot; at veg*anism are those who do too much too fast and they don%26#039;t know how to function.





You may want to take a bit more time to look for non-leather shoes because I can see how uncomfortable it would be to wear animal skin. Or get a pair of leather now and look for non-leather pairs to wear in the future. Until then, you are a vegetarian who owns a pair of leather shoes.


:)





There are honestly a lot of good non-leather shoes out there. I got a pair of vegan Docs about 5 years ago and I am still wearing them. Check out the mooshoes websites; they may have what you want.
Reply:Maybe you could look for some gently used leather shoes from a yard sale, thrift store or friends/neighbors? That way you%26#039;re making use of something that would have gone to waste otherwise.
Reply:The way the world is, it%26#039;s impossible to be completely cruelty free. Do what you can, but if there are shoes that are made better that aren%26#039;t vegan and you have no good alternative, buy the non-vegan shoes. I%26#039;m actually in the same dilemma right now. The only shoes I can find that are completely vegan friendly come from Wal-Mart...and they don%26#039;t look like they%26#039;d make good jogging shoes. Don%26#039;t feel bad if you have to do things that don%26#039;t agree with your way of life, since there really would be no decent alternative anyway. Just be glad you%26#039;re doing all you can which is more than most people can say.
Reply:Hooray!! someone else who won%26#039;t drink milk or eat eggs. I won%26#039;t either. My reason is different than yours though. You see, my dad made my brother %26amp; I clean the cows utters with this smelly antibacterial stuff before he milked them. I couldn%26#039;t stand it. Just the thought of drinking milk after cleaning utters, is utterly (DUH) disgusting. I also had to gather eggs, 200 chicken and clean the coops. But I do applaud you. I wish my husband would be vegatarian, I would rather go without meat. I won%26#039;t by any clothes, shoes, that are made from animals. Many say, %26quot;What%26#039;s the difference, the animal is already dead, why not use all of it?%26quot; There are so many pro%26#039;s %26amp; cons about that. If people stopped eating meat, our planet would be overun with domesticate animals that we farm. I just don%26#039;t like they way they slaughter them. The same for shell fish. I won%26#039;t eat that either, I think there has to be a better way to kill lobster than dropping them in boiling water. I saw my mother do it once because my dad caught a lobster. This was in the 50%26#039;s. We actually heard a terrible sound come from that poor animal. Boy, I sure got off the track, I%26#039;m sorry, If I were you, I would buy the crappy shoes. Bad side of that is, they won%26#039;t last long. Tough choice for you to make.
Reply:The Internet, actually, opens the whole world to you. Shop on-line! When you chose a lifestyle that is a bit out of the norm, it takes a little effort. Good for you, but don%26#039;t get lazy! Just because your lifestyle takes a little more planning and effort doesn%26#039;t mean you should just throw your hands up in despair!
Reply:I don%26#039;t know what to tell you, I guess it depends on how badly you need the shoes? Can you not go on Ebay and find some crappy non leather shoes? From a personal point of view, I would buy the leather shoes. Why? The leather shoes will fit better, and last longer than the non leather, as well as allowing your feet to breathe to help prevent foot odor. I applaud your dedication though.
Reply:what a big question hard to read and answer!



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