Excellent questions.

For me, the choice to enjoy a vegan lifestyle is based on a commitment to live while causing the least harm possible to the beings with whom I share the earth. Intuitively, if not statistically, veganism aligns with that commitment. That being said, there is no delusion that my daily activities cause no harm. Clearly, I can not draw a breath without the disruption and destruction of many other beings.

Importantly, caring for myself is an important element of caring for others. I am able to provide the best care to others and cause them the least burden when I am at my best. Enjoying a nutritionally rich, fiber dense, plant-based diet helps me to be at my best. Potentially destroying viruses and bacteria may also be necessary to be at my healthiest, if it is not inevitable to living.

Lastly, enjoying an attitude of humility about my choices and peacefulness with the choices of others is a critical element of being my best. Just as I examine my commitments each morning and aim my behavior toward honoring them, I assume that it is the same for everyone I meet.