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sure, but a copepod is a lot closer to a shrimp than bacteria.

Or the bacteria and fungi constantly living and dying within us. The self cells we continually turn over and instruct to die. The second order predation that balances the ecosystem that sustains us.

Orcas that enjoy playing with their food. Lions that eat prey alive. Beautiful and terrifying. Our primate and hominid ancestors that ate the flesh of rival clans.

I respect veganism and personal choices, but the world is a big place with lots going on that will forever escape our ability to control. That's how I frame my own decision, but I respect others' too.

That is true, but factory farming is something that we decide to do. You bring up how our ancestors were cannibals, do you also eat human meat?

I guess I don’t see the relevance. Vegans eat other life forms like plants and fungi (it’s unavoidable). Their reservations are specifically about animals. Why would bacteria be an issue?

I think a better example would be the buddhist who goes out of their way to not step on an ant, while simultaneously killing bacteria in his gut.