Am I 100% vegan? Are you?

Two things inspired this post. Number one is the rude comments vegans get about driving cars using fossil fuels, etc., etc... The other is those vegans who are so purist, it's crazy. Folks, there is no such thing as 100% vegan.

The point is, to make an honest effort to be as compassionate, environmentally aware and minimalist as possible to preserve the earth for future generations and save other animals from unnecessary use and abuse.

Of course, for some, it's just about the diet.

That's OK. At least they're doing something! Leave them alone so they can continue on their positive journey. Maybe they'll surprise you in the end. Or not. Because. Like it or not, you can't run other people's lives for them.

And yes, I'm talking to you non-vegans too. If you want us to respect your choices, it's time for you to stop those silly rants about us shoving our beliefs down your throats every single time we mention being vegan or have the audacity to protest animal cruelty.

Last I checked, we all have a legal right to protest (in this country, at least). Yes, even us vegans. Denying a group of people the right to protest or speak up about their beliefs or express their opinions freely, makes you sound like a bigot. If you're not one, I suggest you stop acting like one.

And some of us slip up.

That could be through no fault of our own, simply because we accidentally eat something we thought was vegan, but is not. 

It could also be because we're human or we're just not quite at our goal yet.

Or, we could just tumble head first off the wagon. It happens to the best of us.

That doesn't make us any less vegan.

There is no way of knowing...

We cannot possibly control every single detail that impacts our lives, vegan or not. We cannot possibly know every little ingredient or practice that goes into our food or other products.

It's OK to call yourself vegan, even if you're just starting your journey.

Of course, if you're eating greasy burgers, left and right (or drinking gallons of milk and smothering everything with cheese) you probably shouldn't use that term. But if you're making a concerted effort to do no harm, well, you're vegan, no matter how vegan you are, as long as you are moving steadily forward to reach your goal.

Defining yourself as vegan will help your progress.

It will keep you from slipping up. You don't want to be a hypocrite, after all. It will also help in social situations. If you only say you're going vegan, people might still serve you non-vegan foods, at parties, etc. On the other hand, if you say that you are vegan, they'll be more careful and so will you.

And yes, vegans know.

We know there are idiosyncrasies in today's society that make it downright impossible to be vegan. We know there are other issues in the world. But guess what? We also know that going vegan is the lifestyle change that has the most impact in solving many of those issues.

So, when a vegan says they're vegan....

They know it's not 100% because that's impossible. However, they also know that they are giving this lifestyle change their personal 100%.

Get real and get off your high horse.

No human behavior, vegan or otherwise holds a 100% guarantee of perfection. No human being is 100% perfect. It's just not possible. So, all you “perfect” vegans and rude, non-vegan critics, please get off your high horse. You're not perfect either.

Plus, riding horses is unnatural. It hurts them. And that's not nice of you, whether you're vegan or not.

See what I did there?