PLEASE READ THIS!! I NEED SERIOUS ADVICE ON THIS!!
So I've recently turned vegan, and I come from a meat eating family, so it was very difficult for me to transition. However, knowing and reading about animal exploitation and environmental damage made me feel very guilty about every action, and I started questioning and feeling sad about every nuance. I became extreme, and a thought kept appearing, veganism and minimalism aren’t enough, I need to go further and stop all forms of exploitation, for example, using the internet, using vehicles, eating more food than necessary to survive. I realised my every action harms animals and destroys resources, and this overanalysing caused a lot of conflict within me, I started to get harmful thoughts that my being alive is also damaging to the environment. people say maintain a balance, but where is the balance, isn’t it subjective. Theres a tradition in India called Jainism and there moral beliefs are far more extreme than vegans. They don't even consume potatoes or wear clothes, to not kill any insects or plants as well - as minimum harm as possible! So where does the moral line lies? Jains would say vegans are emotionless right? So where is The balance? How can we measure it? Who's measuring it? Isn't it all subjective?
And I have a lot of interests, like drawing and playing instruments, but when I try to engage in these crafts, my mind starts creating conflicting thoughts - art resources cause damage to the environment, instruments may involve animal products. All these thoughts destroys my experience, and honestly, it would have been easier if I was unaware, because it has made me very sad and low about life, and it’s doing no good, plus I feel most influencers make others feel forcefully guilty. I don’t know, I can’t stop these thoughts sometimes, and this has harmed my career as well, and it might become difficult for me to survive financially with the burden of these implied morals.
Posted May 1, 2026, 5:50 PM UTC