ok, i have decided to go vegetarian again after years of not being a vegetarian. but, i am haing a problem, my hubby and i bought some leather furniture a while back and i feel so guilty. i have always thought about leather being a byproduct but i guess it's really not like i was thinking and it doesn't justify using it. still, i feel so guilty. anyone else have issues like this?
I don't believe in guilt...I don't think it heals very much. Forgiveness is really the way to go. We all bought leather and meat as kids before we knew better...that doesnt make us wrong...we just didnt know. Now that we know, we can make better decisions and help others do the same To feel better about yourself you could order a free vegetarian starter kit and give it to an open minded friend or relative- http://goveg.com/order.asp
Oooooooh, I like this! I'm going to add this to my sig! Ok, back on topic. Well, you really can't do anything about it now -- you've already purchased them and I assume they're functional pieces of furniture still. Throwing them out would be a horrible waste and technically it would be a great disrespect to the cow, since you're tossing out his/her sacrifice. And if you're like the rest of the population, you probably can't afford new furniture right now to replace it. If you wanted to, you could probably make a contribution to the PETA or SPCA or other Animal Rights program, that could help another poor cow from suffering the same fate. But it's really not any good to fret about it now. Just make a point of finding alternatives to leather in the future.
gosh, i am so thankful for you guys! i certainly feel better. i am going to make a contribution to some place that's animal friendly. i can't do anywhere near the price of the sofa and loveseat, but i can do something and that might help a bit. and like you said, i shouldn't be disrespectful. i am going to keep the furniture and use it until it is impossible to use. i figure i should get the most out it, since it was a huge sacrifice.
People get caught in this with car interiors, too. As long as you can sit on it (i've gotten to the point that I avoid leather seating when I can, and use a bit of cloth under me when I can't avoid) use it up and wear it out BUT I give you the caveat that you must take care of it to make it last as long as possible (plus, in a few years you could sell the set and the better condition it is in, the more of your sacrifice you can recoup and it honors in a small way the loss of the animal) Give yourself a timeline of replacement: three or four years, perhaps, and save up money so you can get a fabric set of equivalent quality. Then you can use the leather as a gift, perhaps. Donate it to someplace for people having a hard time, getting off the streets, or whatever. Find a family that would appreciate the gift as they struggle to make ends meet and have a not so nice couch. Now, if hubby is omni, there should be no guilt as it's HIS furniture (see where I'm going?) YOU can get a nice cloth oversized chair (maybe replace the loveseat only?) down the line. we do what we can, and there comes a point where you have to find your line. That line can move through the phases of your life. That's OK. We are evergrowing, everchanging beings endowed with CHOICE. Some people demand their partners be veg*an. I've seen "mixed" couples arguing about milk and eggs. Somehow, that makes my omni-lacto household seem easier, as we never get to the hairs the vegan-lacto-ovo couple were splitting. I have a couple of hard lines: no pork or shell fish, ever, and if omnis cook flesh, they are to turn on the air cleaner in my room and close the door tightly as possible, to keep the smell out of my sleeping space. I have a small air cleaner in the kitchen, too. My dream home will have a glass door to the kitchen to keep smells in the kitchen and out of the linen closet! I also have meat dishes and utensils, and ask that the knives used be washed, but left in a particular place so I can re-kasher them in boiling water. (utensils used in meat become meat under Kashrus (kosher) laws. I could not use the same knife even on vegetables that I had with any milk whatsoever. My Kosher is on the very strict side at home.) This allows them the space to be who they are and me to be who I am. So far, it works.
