- Feb
- 18
You Don’t Have to Be a Great Vegan, Just a Good One
Posted by Michelle Rivera at 5:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
So you have decided to join the world of the compassionate and go vegan! Good for you! Remember that going vegan is a journey, and if you fall, get up and try again. Not everyone goes vegan overnight. It took me a while to complete my journey. I would first have vegan meals, then “vegan days,” when everything I purchased, used, or consumed that day would be vegan. Eventually, the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, until it became a lifestyle.
It may not be wise to throw all your nonvegan food out the window. And it certainly isn’t economical in today’s depressed market to be tossing out nonvegan items that are still quite usable.
And now that you are adopting a vegan lifestyle, what do you do with your nonvegan items? There are two schools of thought on this issue. My son was a vegetarian when he joined the U.S. Coast Guard. He knew that he would not be able to sustain a vegan lifestyle while in basic training, and this bothered him. My advice to him was this: The food that they served him, the shoes that he was required to wear, the belt, the woolen uniform-all of this was temporary, and if he could just get through it, then the time would come when he could make his own decisions and choose consciously.
In these tough economic times, I would give new vegans the same advice. If you already have leather shoes, leather belts, wool sweaters, etc., then I would say–if it doesn’t bother you–use them until they have outgrown their usefulness.
Then there is the other side of the issue, the second school of thought. What if you don’t feel comfortable doing that? If you feel strongly that it would bother you to continue to wear animal-produced clothing and accessories, consider donating these items to an animal charity that accepts items for its thrift shop. Many animal shelters do have a secondhand store connected with them in some way.
Fur coats can be donated to PETA. There are also charities that make stuffed animals out of fur coats to give to children who have been abused, neglected, or molested. Some animal shelters take in the fur coats and items and rip them up and give bits of fur coats to orphaned wildlife, kittens, and puppies.
As far as food is concerned, if you have opened products, the best thing to do is use them up yourself, give them to friends, or donate them to a homeless shelter. If you have unopened products, I strongly encourage you to return them to the grocery store for a full refund and to tell the store why you are returning them. Computers can be useful things, and I have found that even if I do not have a receipt for an item, the store can usually locate the details of a transaction in the cash-register computer.
I think, in the end, that you must do what you feel comfortable doing and not let anyone bully, cajole, or guilt you into doing something with which you are not comfortable. You are the one who can best make decisions for yourself, based on your finances, relationships, and intentions.
A very wise woman once told me that I don’t have to be a great vegan, just a good vegan, and that took a lot of pressure off me to be perfect. And that is my gift to you today, permission not to be perfect. And so, I wish you the best of luck with your journey, and the PETA Prime community is here to help you. There are no judgments here, no criticism or disapproval. You will find only support from us, no matter what you decide to do. I know that you will do the right thing.
Posted to Home & Garden | Posted to Tags: fur, vegan
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Margaret says...
February 20th, 2009, 11:10 pm
I had been a vegetarian for 20 years, then last year on my 50th birthday I decided to go vegan. I thought it would be hard to give up cheese and chocolate but I soon discovered that you loose the taste for them and if I am in the mood for them there are plenty of vegan treats around.My vegan daughter and her boyfriend (also vegan) treated me to a vegan tattoo for my birthday,so everytime I look at it I remind myself and others that there are plenty of good things to eats and wear without hurting animals.
Jadey says...
February 21st, 2009, 8:23 pm
thank you for this, I’m in the process to become Vegan and somedays I strongly feel the pressure you’re talking about… your article makes me feel less alone :).
AprilMay says...
February 22nd, 2009, 10:29 pm
I have been a Vegetarian for about 10 years now and I was not a great one but a good one. I would @ times eat seafood. But this past Nov.2008 I read the Skinny Bitch Book and that was it. I went from a good Vegetarian to Vegan. I was also on a road trip when I decided to take this journey. So its not as hard as you may think if I could do it while traveling on the road I think others can do it while in their homes. I will be 40 in March and feel better now than ever my body is in the best shape ever, I have more energy, and I love the new food I put in my body, don’t feel heavy, bloated, or guilty about what I eat. Every Vegan safes 90 animals per year which helps the ozone and helps for a greener world.I’m doing my part to be a good Vegan but, do strive one day to be a great one!! I say love animals dont eat them!
carl says...
February 23rd, 2009, 8:19 am
Becoming vegan is easier than a lot of people think. We are creatures of habit. It’s just a case of getting out of bad habits and getting into better ones. It becomes habit after a while. Articles like the one above certainly help.
Jen-X says...
February 23rd, 2009, 11:26 am
I decided to go vegan last fall and so far so good! I think the advice here is spot-on. We need to do the best we can but none of us are perfect. I try not to sweat it when someone makes great vegetarian food with a bit of dairy or egg in it. I’m polite and thank them because I know that people are trying at least! At home I have complete control over the ingredients I use.
Lori says...
February 24th, 2009, 8:49 pm
I am very grateful for this article because I am having a hard time adjusting to a vegan lifestyle. I agree that I have been in the “habit” of eating meat and finding new choices for my menu is challenging. I think of my daughter’s lunches for school, I watch the food network and most shows are meat oriented, and true substitutions are lacking the same flavour. However, I chose to watch Meet Your Meat and Meet Your Milk and I just cannot go back to serving those industries! My eyes are open to the sick, bizarre cruelty of factory farms and no matter how challenging this change of lifestyle is, I am making it! Not perfectly though, so thank you for your encouragement and support:)
manja says...
July 1st, 2009, 6:31 am
I am new at this, my daughter is very into this, and I am learning. I cant believe what I have seen on the peta site but then again I know there are bad people everywhere, just didnt know they were in our food service. I am changing and further into this