Vegan Shoes

Is it possible to find fashionable vegan shoes? When I became vegetarian, I went from a full meat eater with no concerns about compassion or animal cruelty, to a nearly vegan diet pretty much over night. My 'experiment' was first geared towards the health benefits of the diet, I did not start to think about the moral issues until later. Peripheral issues, such as the idea that I may have to wear vegan shoes did not even occur to me.

When I did become aware of the suffering that is the foundation of the standard American diet, I did begin to feel like I had the responsibility to stick to my decision, since I had learned that it was quite possible to live without meat. Of course, I had not thought all aspects fully through, so my 'hippocracy' was soon pointed out by certain friends and acquaintances.

"What are those on your feet?" they would say, or "what's that around your waist?". "What's that in your back pocket that you carry your money around in?" This is the kind of zero-sum mentality that frustrates me... 'If you're not 100% perfect, then why bother trying to make any positive contribution at all?' All this is shows is that people love their excuses, they shield themselves with them so that they never have to think for themselves or take any action in life.

There is a point to all this though. We may never be 100% perfect in any of our values, including compassion, but we can make a conscious effort to reduce cruelty if and when we are faced with certain choices. If you have already found that you can live comfortably without any animal products in your diet, then why not take the next step and re-evaluate some of the clothes you wear and some of the products you use. Why not start by looking down...at your feet? Payless is one perinneal source for vegan shoes that some people swear by.

For some people, compromising the foods you have come to know and love is a terrifying thing. For others, such as me, compromising my fashion is even more scary. Fortunately, as more and more people become aware of the suffering of animals, the market for fashionable, sexy, and cruelty-free alternatives will continue to grow.

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