Gina Six Kudo is the general manager for Cochrane Road Self Storage in Morgan Hill, Calif. She is one of four recipients of the Inside Self-Storage 2009 Humanitarian Service Award.
Over the past few weeks watching the thousands of people taking to the streets in Iran and around the world in protest over the disputed election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made me think about life in America. How many of us who enjoy freedom the Iranian people only dream of actually use our freedom to their fullest? Do you vote in every election, or do you find yourself too busy to go to the polling place?
I won’t go into politics, but look at what we have at our fingertips! We have uncensored access to all the World Wide Web has to offer. The ability to post our words to share with others without fear of recrimination. We enjoy the freedom to express our thoughts and even openly state our objections to our government leaders in hopes they will listen. At the very least, we need not fear we’ll vanish into the night, never to be seen or heard from again simply for stating an opinion.
Understanding we are all in an economic upheaval, and some are fairing better than others, maybe this is a call for perspective. Even if you don’t agree with whoever is in control in Washington, D.C., at any given time, you do have so many opportunities open to you.
Or, would you rather be a business owner in a country in a similar upheaval to Iran's? Let’s say you are a self-storage owner and you’re treading water trying to stay afloat. Even at that, your life and options are much better than those around the globe and here at home.
When you gripe about the $3-plus per gallon of gas you put into your tank, think of the mother who could feed her children for an entire week on three bucks in her country.
It’s so easy for us all to whine about how bad things are, but how many times per year, or optimistically per month or week, do you step back to truly count your blessings? Is there food on your table, a roof over your head and people around you who care? Are you taking full advantage of the freedoms bestowed upon you by our forefathers? If not, why not? Don’t sit idle, get involved, be passionate about something. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned from Iran ... if only we stop to think.