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The almighty green devil...this freakin' world can't live without it. Working in the world of nonprofits really changes your view of money. It's a means of survival. You travel that fine line between making a profit for profits' sake and making a profit for the sake of the segment of the community you serve.

Being anti towards the corporate community is pointless. The reality is that the majority of the financial support that exists in the Pilipino community comes from corporations, not from individuals. But for non-corporate types, if you don't have events, it makes it look as if the organization "isn't doing anything." There's such a large disconnect from the people being served and taking advantage of the services and donors. That's one of the paradoxes I've observed over the past few months. It's quite hilarious. People expect you to better the community but they don't want to pick up their own torches to start supporting the community they often criticize for being disconnected and difficult to organize.

Where is it going to stop? I see the same attitudes passed on through generations. I keep thinking a change has to come soon but I keep getting discouraged when people in MY generation don't see the value in investing in themselves, in their people, in their families, in their youth, in their peers. And I'm just not talking about money. I'm talking about time and developing relationships that will help to sustain a cause, an organization.

And then there are those who want to take on every single issue possible. Intentions are grand, a little too grand. It takes a while for them to realize that you can't save the entire world by yourself. You're going to have to work with other people. Politics is a given. Whether you like to deal with it or not, you're going to need to learn how to play the game. Just be careful who your bedfellows are. Sometimes they don't always have the best intentions.

Lastly, there are tons of people who like to hear themselves speak. They want their grandstands because they think that's really going to make people listen to them. I've always had the experience of people not listening to those who are yelling. Stop yelling people, it's not going to get anywhere and will most certainly not get you what you want.

So all of these attitudes begin and end with money. What doesn't? I guess the key is to figure what kind of good you want to get from it and how do you go about getting what you want with it.