I have an online dating profile, on which I am not very active, but I do profess my veganism.

I was recently asked: "Are you a pragmatic or a dogmatic vegan?"

I knew the effective answer in a word, but I have never before considered the practice dichotomously.

Philosophically, I hold no dogmatic views on veganism. I don't claim the belief that everyone in the world should be vegan, or anything like that—I do advocate for reduction in meat consumption and scrutiny of the industry, for the sake of the environment and for the well-being of animals. Unless explicitly asked for my views, I prefer to educate by example—I don't shame others for their choices, but where appropriate share the value in mine (usually by sharing awesome food), and encourage those who express an interest.

I have been vegan roughly five or six years, though not consecutively—after a couple years of practice, I compromised on pescatarianism with a former NP (I reverted when the relationship ended, and I do not believe my personal growth since would permit me to bring that situation about again). On a personal level, it could perhaps be said that my application is "practically dogmatic" :P. When it comes to myself, I feel more comfortable drawing the hard line, as I tend to do well with this self-imposed structure. If presented with the choice between meat from a lovingly raised animal and some unsustainable mass-produced faux-meat product, I would have a hard time breaking that line. This is something I have been getting better about lately—not that I'm slipping, just that I can, as it was presented, view it more pragmatically.