Entering a community can be a taxing experience. Any community, for there are many, has a whole set of rules and regulations which are easily accessible. What isn’t as easily accessible are the cultural constructs of a community. Dictionaries have very separate definitions of community based primarily on specific sets of locality or cultural similarities. Understanding what makes a community identify together, as well as what makes them exclusive from others, is crucial for ease of integration.

            Moving into the neighborhood, it might be good to know that nobody lets dogs use mailboxes, even if they are cleaned up after. Moving into a religious community, it might be very important to know that the given group doesn’t allow shoes in what it considers a holy meeting place – even though you just thought it was someone’s garage.

            This is my present challenge. As the new office manager here in Pace e Bene’s Oakland office, I am meeting people rapidly via email and telephone. I am committed to nonviolence, but what my commitment means and what other’s in this community’s commitment means are different things. We are all on a journey and what we believe today we may partially or wholly disavow tomorrow. I would want the present version of myself to respect my future version of myself and vice-versa so I aim to do that with others.

            I am excited to be able to have this audience to share my thoughts with you all, and I hope that you all will share your thoughts with me. One thing I have definitely learned about this community is their commitment to human dignity. It’s written right in the vision, “Dignity, peace, and justice for all” and I believe that’s the heart of a lot of things, not just nonviolence.

            I think in that commitment to human dignity it is important to not just speak first, but to also listen first. It has been a long journey for me, and I’m only 23, and it will be a long journey onwards. I have learned through some very important, even if difficult, relationships that being honest and open in communication saves from a lot of pain and heartache.

            As a result, I’m really committed to changing my own actions and mentalities. I want to respect other people’s dignity and needs even before I look out for my own. That’s the only way love and life can work out in a way to provide dignity, peace, and justice for all. We have to look out for others before we look out for ourselves with the full knowledge that they’ll be doing the same for us. I’m not sure how to get from here to there; I hope we can all find out together. Won’t that be a beautiful world?

            So feel free to contact me at anytime here in the Oakland office by phone or email. I’ll be waiting to hear from you, and I hope to shout out to you all again soon.

Kevin Ressler

Oakland Office Manager