If you’re someone who has recently gone vegan, you might have a sort of perception that once you go vegan, everything’s going to be great and you’ll never contribute to animal cruelty again. Unfortunately, being vegan is a little more complicated than that.

   Not only is veganism itself not perfect (stick around to read that post—coming soon), but there’s no way of being perfectly vegan all the time either. 

   I know that this seems discouraging, but hear me out. By the end of this explanation, your perspective will shift. 

Vegan, the definition

   We talk about the definition of veganism time and again on this site, and it may get a little old for some, but it bears repeating. 

   Veganism is a practice which seeks to avoid the use and consumption of animals and animal products as far as is practicable and possible. 

   And with this definition you can already see that there will be exceptions. For example, if an animal is attacking you, self defense would not make you a nonvegan. Or if you needed to take a medication to survive and the only medication has been tested on animals, yes, you’re still vegan. 

   But also, since we’re living in a nonvegan world, there’s also going to be honest mistakes. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—what matters is what we do with these mistakes. 

You’re human first, vegan second

   What I mean by this is it doesn’t matter how vegan you are, you’re going to be susceptible to simple human error from time to time. Maybe you read a label wrong or someone assured you something was vegan but you find out later that it’s not. 

   It sucks but this is the reality of life. You’re going to make mistakes. When you do see that you’ve made a mistake, it’s time to move forward. Do what you can to mitigate the damage if you can, and then keep moving forward. 

   For instance, if someone sneaks you nonvegan food that you eat, there’s nothing to be done about that. If you accidentally buy something nonvegan, and you can return it, then do so. If you can’t return (because you already opened it, etc), then try to give it to someone who can use it. 

Make a game plan

   But moving forward, you’re going to want to know how you can avoid this mishap. So you’ll want to make a game plan for how you proceed. 

   Simplistically, log it away in your memory that that product you just purchased isn’t vegan. But you can also prevent future similar mistakes by learning a little more about the ingredient and the role it plays in the product. 

   For example, some “dairy free” sorbets you might assume are vegan but they put eggs in them instead to provide a similar texture. So, moving forward, you’ll look at the ingredients of dairy free sorbets more closely before buying. 

   Here’s another one that’s tripped me up—carmine or cochineal. This is an ingredient that is sometimes used to color things a pink or red color. So if something seems like it would be vegan but is a red or pink color, I make sure to double check the label for this red dye made from insects. 

   You’re going to have a continual learning experience when it comes to veganism. All you can do is be careful and act with what knowledge you have. However, I know that sometimes, this can get discouraging.

The emotional toll

   Obviously if you’re an ethical vegan, making mistakes is going to upset you. You’re doing everything in your power to avoid these products because you find them cruel and don’t want to participate. Obviously it’s not going to be just a casual shrug it off moment when you fall short of that. 

   But you can’t let it take you over. It’s awful that we live in a world where it is so difficult to simply not participate in the use and mistreatment of animals. A world where these things are so prevalent, that even if you try, you still fail to be separate from these things. It can make you feel hopeless and angry, both at yourself for failing and at the state of the world. 

   And I’m not the kind of person who likes to tell people to ignore their feelings. This emotional response is valid and, if you ask me, normal to have in the face of these realizations and struggles. So feel them. Acknowledge them, for the time that you need to. In many ways, being vegan is a state of constant mourning. Mourning for your past blissful ignorance, mourning for the animals that die and live lives by force every single day. It’s normal and healthy to have some negative feelings associated with that awareness. 

Managing emotions

   But at some point, ruminating is not helpful, for you as a person or for your activism as a vegan. All of life is a balance between the world within and action. The world within is thoughts and feelings, and action is what happens in the real world, outside of yourself. Veganism, at its core is a practice—an action, if you will. An action that you continue day by day, moment by moment. And in order to keep moving forward you’ll need to learn how to compartmentalize this grief. 

   One thing to keep in mind is that things are getting better. Veganism is getting more popular and there are more vegan options than ever before in restaurants and supermarkets. And even people who are not vegan are becoming more familiar with what it means, as well as becoming more comfortable with the idea of eating plant based meals from time to time. 

   Not only this, but you are also getting better. Over time, as you learn and grow and keep trying your best, you’ll come to make less mistakes. You have to know this, you have to keep this in mind and bank on it. In the future, you will make less mistakes. This will be better for both you and the animals. You just have to keep moving. So in the meantime, do what it takes to get there. Keep learning and trying your best. 

Step outside of veganism for a sec

   I know, this one sounds bad. But hear me out. As we mentioned briefly, even perfect veganism, if it existed, wouldn’t be perfectly ethical either. That doesn’t mean that perfect veganism would be inherently unethical. It’s just that you could still be 100% vegan and a bad person at the same time. So don’t think that you’ve failed veganism by not being perfect or failed being a good person because you made a nonvegan mistake. Try your best and then, take a step out of veganism too.

   Learn about other ways of putting good out into the world and being a good person, because veganism doesn’t cover it all. And it was never meant to. 

   I see so many vegans (especially newer vegans, but it’s all over the community) that make veganism their sole identity. And that’s the purpose in life, the whole of their online presence, their hobby, and seemingly the only topic worthy of conversation. It is a big deal, certainly. And worthy of conversation. But you’re a whole person, not just a vegan. 

   When you get bogged down day after day in the injustices of the nonhuman animals of this planet and don’t actively disengage from time to time, your mental health will plummet. And, if you want a more selfless reason to practice this, when your mental health plummets, so does the effectiveness of your activism. Even your capacity of performing activism is affected. You wanna be a happy healthy vegan, because you deserve to be. Because it’s a good example of veganism to those that aren’t familiar with it. And because the animals deserve your voice. So learn to nurture your very human self. Do things that don’t have a focus on veganism, but help soothe your soul. And do these things regularly, in order to bring yourself back to an emotionally healthy place where you can advocate for others. 

You’re not perfect, but you’re vegan

   I’m sure you know this already, but you’re not perfect. And like I said, neither is veganism. But you know what? Through all the mistakes and effort and learning, you’re a vegan. And for that, I’d like to thank and congratulate you. 

   Your efforts are worth something. They make a difference. And these are the kinds of decisions that you’re going to look back and be proud of later in life, because you lived by your values instead of convenience. 

   And as always, thank you for reading my thoughts. I hope they were able to bring you some encouragement and motivation. If you’re interested in more vegan content, subscribe to the blog to get email updates whenever there’s a new post. Have a lovely day!