Thanks to @Sylvia for explaining why I thought you were a troll.
The question that comes to mind is: Is it possible to care too much?
Since the majority of people care too little, this is not something that is discussed or even thought about very often. and since most people care too little, I would feel uncomfortable persuading someone to care less.
Your question about the ten children reminds me very much of some of the discussions we had in Ethics class. Its also the kind of question that Utilitarians get a kick out of. Come to think of it, Betham was a utilitarian that is held in great esteem by vegans. I think he developed some kind of arithmetic to help figure out those kind of issues. I think 9:1 would have a simple solution.
I'm pretty sure the Jainists believed in reincarnation. So you might be a reincarnated Jainist. And being that you were not reborn as a slug or earthworm, you must be doing an excellent job. Keep up the good work!
Listen, all philosophizing and kidding aside, without joining a Jain monastery, your existence is going to cause harm to other beings. Vegans try to minimize that. but we realize that we can't be perfect in that regard. That is why we have that
as much a possible and practicable clause. What is possible and practicable is subjective and IMHO a personal decision. So just do what you feel is right. But I think you should continue composting. It's good for the Earth.
You know when Darwin finished his explorations he settled down in Kent. And studied earthworms. His last book was about earthworms. much of what we know about earthworms and composting came from Darwin. I think he became very curious about the sentience of earthworms. and one could easily conclude that he treated his worms with great respect and care. by taking care of your earthworms you are emulating one of the greatest scientific minds.
However try not to go crazy.
www.historytoday.com