The bit in my Tuesday post about being a “good” vegan vs. being a “bad” vegan really got me thinking, which is not an event that happens to me frequently, so I figured I should take the opportunity while it was there & explore that idea a little more in-depth today.

We all want to be the best people we can possibly be (well, most of us anyway). We want to be the best at our jobs, at our relationships and in our personal choices, like being a vegan. But so often we get caught up in this idea of being the best that we start to equate “the best” with “the most perfect.”

Here’s a newsflash: everyone’s best is different. And here’s another newsflash: that’s ok. I have vegan friends who are, by most people’s standards, the “perfect” vegans. They know absolutely every product that has ever had any animal association at any point in time. These people will amaze you with their information and stories and passion.

And then I have other vegan friends who still drink Guiness, even though it’s made with isinglass. I have vegan friends who wear clothes made from wool, because wool can be obtained humanely. I myself don’t make a big stink about items that have honey in them. I don’t use it consciously, but I also don’t make as much of an effort to avoid it as I do with, say, steak.

Now which group of people do you think that 99% percent of the population would consider “good” vegans? If you said the first group, then go get yourself a cookie! And it’s this perception of “good” vegans that drives the “less-than-good” vegans to distraction. There are a thousand ways you can berate yourself for being a “bad” vegan. There are even more ways for people to make you feel like shit for being a “bad” vegan.

Personally, I think there’s no such thing as a “bad” vegan. Anyone who’s sworn off animal-related products, for whatever reason, is making a conscious choice to reduce the pain and suffering in the world, and I think that’s pretty freaking awesome, no matter at what level you do it. There’s a great article from the now defunct Satya Magazine that speaks to this very issue. The main criteria for your choice should be “Which choice causes less harm?“, not “Which choice will make me look cool in front of my other vegan friends?” or “Which choice will get people to give me the least amount of shit?”

As Eleanor Roosevelt said “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” You can’t let people make you feel bad about your choices, or how far you take them. How about we start feeling good about our choices, instead?