Hi Y'all,
I'm having a moral 'crisis.'
I have been vegetarian since I was 12 and have been vegan for a decade. I have many wonderful recipes and creations to share.
Recently, I had to have a septoplasty, as I had a twice-deviated septum, to my left down the length of my nose and to the right at the tip, with some odd shaping in the bones behind my nose. The result was that to correct my deviation, they had to give me a full nose job, there just wasn't a different way.
My nose healed, and once the swelling went down, I found I had a squishy tip and a big, triangular shaped nostril on one side.
My surgeon is saying he won't touch it for a free touchup, as he would have to open my whole nose up again, 'though before he said if that happened, he could fix it in an hour in-office. Not sure what the deal is..
The crisis is that there is this filler that can quasi-permanently correct the misshapen nostril, allowing me to look like a normal human again. To me, it is quite noticable and detracts from my appearance bigly. My doctor, looking down, while I'm seated in a chair says it isn't that noticeable..
The problem is that this filler uses collagen, which is an ingredient derived from animals.
Here's where I have trouble. I have been a solid non-meat eater since I turned vegetarian, without compromising once, ever. I CANNOT put someone's flesh in my mouth and EAT them! I'm careful about all suspect ingredients, carmine, confectioner's glaze, etc.
Now, looked at one way, people are exploiting these animals for a profit, and it is my money that would give them that profit, plus I would have dead animal tissue in my body which horrifies me to no end. The other way I can look at it is that these animals would have been slaughtered for food, and I am not in any way contributing to there demise, in fact, I'm giving them money that does not relate to slaughter, 'though the same awful humans still benefit.
The truth is, while I've had many surgeries and procedures for various reasons, and while I try to ask my doctors to avoid the use of animal-related products, the testing, development and many ingredients in products used already contain animal products, for instance, there was some dissolvable suture or something that was made of animal intestine, I think. Something that bonds with bone too, anyway, I can't remember. When I get prescriptions, I make sure they aren't in gelatin, but these were surgeries that were not a choice.
I can have a normal life and nose, but I will be compromising my principles. On a deeper Spiritual level, that seems like a no-no, if you're going to commit, commit. I think the greatest of sins when we die are when we violate our own beliefs.
On the other hand, I am not being true to myself if I don't fix it, my life's future is at stake, and I will walk a different path either way..
What would you do? What should I do?
I would love some help, a couple days ago, I was at a firm 'No, no matter what, whatever it takes.' Now, I'm looking at my nose crying, and considering the above. Animals are in our electronics, hidden in household goods and furniture and sometimes even used in packaging. All of us have cell phones, 'though we know this.
To me, veganism is reducing harm as much as possible, even organic produce kills pests to grow our food and even plants have souls. We do what we can.
Would a couple of you mind weighing in? I'm just looking for some discourse to clarify my own thinking, even typing this has made me lean more firmly to doing it, it's just, how can I bear it..
Thank you so much!!
I'm having a moral 'crisis.'
I have been vegetarian since I was 12 and have been vegan for a decade. I have many wonderful recipes and creations to share.
Recently, I had to have a septoplasty, as I had a twice-deviated septum, to my left down the length of my nose and to the right at the tip, with some odd shaping in the bones behind my nose. The result was that to correct my deviation, they had to give me a full nose job, there just wasn't a different way.
My nose healed, and once the swelling went down, I found I had a squishy tip and a big, triangular shaped nostril on one side.
My surgeon is saying he won't touch it for a free touchup, as he would have to open my whole nose up again, 'though before he said if that happened, he could fix it in an hour in-office. Not sure what the deal is..
The crisis is that there is this filler that can quasi-permanently correct the misshapen nostril, allowing me to look like a normal human again. To me, it is quite noticable and detracts from my appearance bigly. My doctor, looking down, while I'm seated in a chair says it isn't that noticeable..
The problem is that this filler uses collagen, which is an ingredient derived from animals.
Here's where I have trouble. I have been a solid non-meat eater since I turned vegetarian, without compromising once, ever. I CANNOT put someone's flesh in my mouth and EAT them! I'm careful about all suspect ingredients, carmine, confectioner's glaze, etc.
Now, looked at one way, people are exploiting these animals for a profit, and it is my money that would give them that profit, plus I would have dead animal tissue in my body which horrifies me to no end. The other way I can look at it is that these animals would have been slaughtered for food, and I am not in any way contributing to there demise, in fact, I'm giving them money that does not relate to slaughter, 'though the same awful humans still benefit.
The truth is, while I've had many surgeries and procedures for various reasons, and while I try to ask my doctors to avoid the use of animal-related products, the testing, development and many ingredients in products used already contain animal products, for instance, there was some dissolvable suture or something that was made of animal intestine, I think. Something that bonds with bone too, anyway, I can't remember. When I get prescriptions, I make sure they aren't in gelatin, but these were surgeries that were not a choice.
I can have a normal life and nose, but I will be compromising my principles. On a deeper Spiritual level, that seems like a no-no, if you're going to commit, commit. I think the greatest of sins when we die are when we violate our own beliefs.
On the other hand, I am not being true to myself if I don't fix it, my life's future is at stake, and I will walk a different path either way..
What would you do? What should I do?
I would love some help, a couple days ago, I was at a firm 'No, no matter what, whatever it takes.' Now, I'm looking at my nose crying, and considering the above. Animals are in our electronics, hidden in household goods and furniture and sometimes even used in packaging. All of us have cell phones, 'though we know this.
To me, veganism is reducing harm as much as possible, even organic produce kills pests to grow our food and even plants have souls. We do what we can.
Would a couple of you mind weighing in? I'm just looking for some discourse to clarify my own thinking, even typing this has made me lean more firmly to doing it, it's just, how can I bear it..
Thank you so much!!
