I was reading a philosophical book on ethics and started to question: "Is there some point, possibly indeterminable, at which an individual has done all she is required to do? At this point, does she have the option to decline to do more and is still morally affable?"
If a person responds "yes" to these questions, then she is giving up on a better tomorrow. She has determined that she has done her best to help those she can. She has decided that she no longer has an obligation to help feed the hungry or promote the end of human trafficking. She believes it is not her job to give a portion of her wealth to her neighbors whom cannot afford their basic bills. She reasons that because she has given ten percent of her wages to her congregation, she has no responsibility to support the local charity. Her choices and actions are no longer aimed at promoting the general good.
But if a person believes that there is no such point, then it seems she is setting herself up for a life of disappointment and failure. The world will never be perfect nor will every individual be happy. Therefore, one's work for a better world will never be finished. Furthermore, every minute she takes to watch her favorite TV show, every penny she spends on a mere disposable desire will be in opposition to her moral requirement. That minute could have been used to volunteer at a soup kitchen; that penny could have been spent on aids research.
Is there some kind of moral limit? And if so, how do we determine where it is?
