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I could live without a TV, but I have one sitting in the same room that I am typing this blog. The $1000 I spent on that slick LCD TV could have immunized about 58 children from 6 major childhood diseases according to UNICEF. Is it wrong that I bought the TV? Peter Singer, a philosophy professor at Princeton, probably would say yes. He formulated that it was immoral to consume beyond a comfortable level when the same money could be used to save lives.

While it may be unrealistic to merely live at a comfortable level and to donate the rest to charity, in my opinion, it is insightful to contemplate the extremes of “being good.” It is complicated though since where does the extreme line start anyway? Does Warren Buffett qualify as being extreme? I could not imagine giving up $30 billion, even if that was “only” 60% of my net worth. He is still rich, but how much does that discount what he donated?

Beyond money, how much of my daily life should go towards good? How far does being environmental go? Should I stop using toilet paper and start using water and my hand? It might be gross, but it is common in some parts of the world, so I could get used to it… probably. Or what about having a toilet that doesn’t flush? It would be nice to have some extra fertilizer for my yard I guess. Have you heard of the No Impact Man? He is trying to live a zero net carbon life, in New York City no less. Maybe that is not good enough though, maybe he should be living in a field out in Oklahoma, not New York City.

All these questions come up when I think about these extremes, but definite answers rarely surface. Perhaps the important thing to take away is not whether people are doing the maximum amount possible, but the fact that a few people go to great lengths, even if it is within their own boundaries, to do good. The world does not work through perfection, but through goals much more humble. Everyone comes with circumstances and preferences that drive and restrict their lives, so being good, for better or worse, usually has to work within those lines. Unless people are riding on the shoulders of apathy and ignorance, questions sometimes bog down the achievement of real goals.

The world does not require us to march in unison. Even if some work harder than others, if we all take one, two or twenty steps, it will amount to something huge. So although I won’t be giving up my TV anytime soon, Singer has gotten me to think about my money a little differently and that is good enough for me.