I think it’s important to differentiate between perfection as a requirement and perfection as a North Star.
As North Star it simply is a direction of travel. Every ethical system, from Islam to secular humanism, has an awareness that there is an ideal we may never fully embody, but still orient toward. The point is not “being perfect” but continually aligning, step by step, as a verb, not a noun. This makes it not exclusionary but clarifying, and gives dignity to everyone. In religion, mysticism, spirituality it’s all about the continued cleaning of your heart and being, you never just “are clean”. That’s the same here.
Where I agree with you is on accessibility. If the goal is to include more people then the invitation should not be “become 100% vegan immediately,” but more to join a path of intentional reduction, with a clear ethical horizon where we all commit to continually aligning—there are ofc better ways of communicating this. This framing avoids both false equivalence (“all reductions are the same”) and purity culture. In a practical sense, you do need to use “vegan” in a clearly defined way to be able to order food or get what you need. For movement building, more spaciousness could help but could clash with egos and functionality.
I think it’s important to differentiate between perfection as a requirement and perfection as a North Star.
As North Star it simply is a direction of travel. Every ethical system, from Islam to secular humanism, has an awareness that there is an ideal we may never fully embody, but still orient toward. The point is not “being perfect” but continually aligning, step by step, as a verb, not a noun. This makes it not exclusionary but clarifying, and gives dignity to everyone. In religion, mysticism, spirituality it’s all about the continued cleaning of your heart and being, you never just “are clean”. That’s the same here.
Where I agree with you is on accessibility. If the goal is to include more people then the invitation should not be “become 100% vegan immediately,” but more to join a path of intentional reduction, with a clear ethical horizon where we all commit to continually aligning—there are ofc better ways of communicating this. This framing avoids both false equivalence (“all reductions are the same”) and purity culture. In a practical sense, you do need to use “vegan” in a clearly defined way to be able to order food or get what you need. For movement building, more spaciousness could help but could clash with egos and functionality.