My Two Cents:Vegans. Holier Than Thou?

Vegans. Do we think we're better than other people?
A few months back I went on a date. He was not a vegan and asked me why I decided to go vegan.
So..I got into it. Or rather, he asked me more and more questions that prompted me to get into it...

I told him that it was essentially a spiritual thing (and the more I learned about the other reasons-environmental/ethical/health-it became a strengthened, integrative choice). I wanted to be a better me; a better human being. I wanted to make 'higher" spiritual choices. Then he said something that startled me..he said,"I'd be careful if I were you. You may be trying to be better than other people that way." Well! I blushed inwardly. Is that what I'm doing?! I never thought of it that way. I never thought of it in the context of "other people". I was just... focusing on myself, really. Isn't it part of Buddhism (and Hinduism) to elevate spiritually to..a god? Aren't we all (already) divine and base all at once? And don't we make choices on which end of the spectrum to go towards?

Hey, listen. What he said makes some sense. Vegans certainly have this stigma of being 'self-righteous' and 'holier than thou'. That idea didn't come out of thin air.

But you know what? Based on what this guy has told me about himself, he certainly had this 'thing' about staying humble and not trying to be 'better' than others. He told me about how he used to work in business and wear suits and now he's been going the other way. He sported a beard, shorts and sandals on our date. So that's his shit he was talking about. Totally subjective, I'm sure.

And for another thing, why should we shy away from 'bettering ourselves' in the fear that we are obnoxiously 'trying to' overshadow others?

Myth expert Joseph Campbell made a point that has stuck to the core of me, and it is part of my essential world view: By being the best person we can be, we do our part in making the world a better place.

I truly believe that. I do believe in activism, but I also believe that we help the world most by being our best selves-in ways that we will never comprehend fully, because this universe works in subtle and holistic ways.
So does this vegan think she's better than other non-vegans? Does it even matter? Let's just all do our thing, and be our truest, fullest selves, shall we? And don't apologize for it, damn it!