Wednesday, July 20, 2011

…it is not the money that makes a man happy!

Really!
I mean it’s a beautiful statement to read on your daily quotes calendar, even more beautiful statement to be heard during meditation discourses…but how true and practical is it?!!
It’s been a while that I am on a spiritual path and hence as an individual I can associate myself with this, I do understand the deep meaning these words have, but I have also come to understand that it stands untrue to a practical life of a person who aspires to bring a positive change in the current situation.
It’s a dirty reality that like any other business, money indeed is a lifeline for social sector!
Yes I do realize that I have just called social sector a ‘business’ for I have seen and experienced various incidences which makes me conclude that.
I am not saying there is anything wrong it in, I mean why would there be! What disturbs me is along with money, all other so called dangerous factors of business world are slowly yet vividly entering ‘social sector’.
Let’s take can example –
On a grassroot level, for an NGO to function it needs funds, it needs continuous and undisturbed financial support so that they can concentrate on their work. On the other side, as much as funding agencies are happy to fund such NGOs, they are also very keen on dictating their own agenda & terms on such NGOs. Be it - bringing in more professionalism, investing where they can see rapid results (which BTW need not to be sustainable), investing where they get maximum marketing coverage and so on and so forth.
To add to the irony – it’s evident that majority of the NGOs are unable to function in complete harmony, there are clashes due to ego issues, selfishness, a feeling that two NGOs working for the same cause are actually in competition with each other which leads to no sharing of information, & knowledge. (I am also tempted to conclude that it’s probably the reason why in spite of having so many NGOs working for similar causes, we do not see sufficient results!)
I am really disturbed to see that the people who have voluntarily taken the responsibility of serving the society are themselves driven more by ego, selfishness and not by the cause for which they are working!
NGO’s need for money is accepted and respected! However, the question remains – What needs to be done to make these NGOs realize that while they fight (when I use a word fight, it’s not a literal tug of war, but it’s the more dangerous form of fight – A silence war!) with other NGOs over silly pride and ego issues – the worst sufferer are the people!
 ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’
Disclaimer – These are solely my individual views which have come out of observations and interactionsJ!

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