I'm An Imperfect Vegan But It's Better I Make Some Difference Than No Difference At All
As long as you're still practicing a vegan lifestyle in all other aspects that you can, that's what matters.
According to The Vegan Calculator, every day, each vegan saves 1100 gallons of water, 40 pounds of grain, 30 square feet of forest, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and the life of one animal.
That is a big impact to make by simply not using or consuming animal products for a single day as a single person.
But, remember, being vegan means no honey, no leather, no meat, no cheese, no eggs, no yogurt and no gelatin, just to name a few things. It's hard to always maintain all of these rules.
Is it worth it?
Absolutely, but I think that it is important to remember that being imperfect at following all of the stipulations of veganism makes a big difference.
Eating a candy bar that has milk in it one day a week but still eating vegan every other day and not using animal products otherwise? That still makes a big impact.
Not realizing that Poptarts have gelatin in them and eating those? You're still making an impact.
Buying that pair of leather sneakers even though they're clearly not vegan? That's only one pair. Your other shoes are all vegan. Otherwise, you are vegan.
I've come to learn to be gentle with myself and other vegans or "plant-based" people because, at the end of the day, we are all making strides to better the lives of animals and to save the planet.
We all slip up and sometimes don't realize something isn't vegan. Sometimes, that candy bar looks really good.
As long as you're still conscious of the impact that that candy bar is making, and as long as you're still practicing a vegan lifestyle in all other aspects that you can, that's what matters.
To all my fellow imperfect vegans, remember that what you're doing is still making a difference and that it's perfectly normal to slip up every so often. After all, we are human. We make mistakes.
