what is a vegan? what does it mean to you?

to me, being a vegan is just as much about compassion and understanding as it is about a militant methodology of monitoring what you eat.

if one is to try and look at a vegan in a literal sense of the word, the answer would probably veer more towards the "militant" answer.  However, if one was to be more liberal, and interpret a perception of "letter of the law" - the compassionate/understanding may win out.

For me, i see living a vegan lifestyle as a combination.  The main focus of course is abstaining from all meat products (food/clothes/by-products) etc. but as with most things in life - that's not black and white, there's many shades of grey.  Are you vegan if you use regular camera film? are you vegan if you pay money to attend a sporting event where the main item in play (baseball, football, etc) is made of animal skin?  are you vegan if you wear leather shoes that you had since before becoming vegan, especially so if you really can't afford a new pair of shoes? are you vegan if you buy a loaf of bread from the store where the ingredients are seemingly vegan but...you haven't called the manufacturer to determine if some of the ingredients are animal or plant based? the list can go on and on really...

So, in my perception - being vegan is someone who strives not only for results but for ideals. In this, an example would be someone who even if *gasp* they consume
some "non vegan" product at some point - but they give compassion and love and don't judge others.  Think about it, part of what we're hoping to accomplish in a vegan lifestyle is that others will catch on and adopt a more humane lifestyle as well.  So who is more likely to serve as a positive influence to potentially persuade new people to examine a vegan lifestyle?  the vegan who is militant and judges people and turns people off and makes people think all vegans are nuts - or, the quiet, humble person who maybe doesn't follow 100% vegan diet but - through their actions - serves as a positive influence for others to then consider the same.

In that sense, would not almost - the person that serves as a greater power of persuasion almost then be considered more vegan?

Enquiring minds want to know.  8)