For Fairfax resident Berdj Kenadjian, his book "From Darkness to Light" was a "labor of love" that was 30 years in the making. The book chronicles Kenadjian's spiritual quest and offers an understanding of world disorder and economic vision based on this spirituality. Born in Istanbul, Kenadjian retired from the Internal Revenue Service to volunteer full-time and is a member of Fairfax Baptist Church with his wife Mary. He is this week's People Profile.
How long have you been in the community and what brought you here? I came in the spring of 2003, and what brought me here is that I decided to get married again after I lost my first wife, and she [Mary] had two little kids. We had heard that the public schools are the best in this area. I had another reason: I wanted to be close to George Mason University, so I could go over there to do some research. Then I discovered that I can do better research on the Internet.
When did you come to America? 1946. I celebrated my 60 years in America one day after Columbus Day. That was our joke, that the Romanian boat on which we came was so slow it came in one day after Columbus.
Family: After I got here, I was mainly interested in studying, studying, studying but in 1955 I got married to a very lovely lady from Euphola, Ala. … I lost her Dec. 9, 1999. I had no thoughts of remarrying, per se, but I was serving on the board of directors of a charter school in the District. [Mary] happened to be on the board, and that’s how I got to meet her. People who know us say that any issue that comes up, in two minutes we are already in agreement. But I think they’re not stating it accurately, because it’s even shorter.
Education: My Ph.D. is in economics from Harvard University. I also have a master’s degree from Harvard and I have a bachelor of business administration from the University of Michigan.
Job history: When I retired [from the IRS], I was chief economist for compliance systems. I was an expert on the underground economy in the United States, the legal sector and the illegal sector. I retired in 1989 ... I decided I was going to start a new career as a full-time volunteer.
What made you decide to write your book? It was a labor of love and it was a spiritual mission. Through an amazing set of circumstances, I got to meet a metaphysical teacher and minister by the name of Benn Lewis. He was extremely talented, sensitive in that he could reach the highest souls and dimensions ... I was asked to make people aware of this higher social wisdom because — and this was in the late 1960s — they said that things would get pretty difficult around the world. And that there would come a time when world leaders would have no answers, which way to turn, how to proceed, because the world would be in extraordinary crisis … for me, all this seemed fantastic. I thought, you’ve got to be kidding, I can’t do this. But life took me through so many different unexpected turns that I could see their hands guiding me through this.
What would you want your readers to “get” out of the book? First of all, I want them to understand that we are living in extraordinary times of very rapid involvement. Things are changing very fast. If you look back at the past 100 years, more changes will have occurred in history than in the prior 3,000 years or more. This rapid change has a potential for tremendous good and tremendous evil. Most people don’t realize this. Also, they don’t realize how important their decisions are as individuals. They say, ‘Who am I? I haven’t done anything or distinguished myself in any way, what difference can I make?’ Well, that theory is totally wrong. Every individual’s decision is extremely important in shaping the course of this nation in particular.
Community concerns: I love doing volunteer work because I find greater profit from that than from any other work except my writing ... right now I am working with prisoners. I do not only one-on-one mentoring but life skills instruction at the Fairfax jail.
Last book you read: “Miracles” by Stuart Wilde, “Sanctuary” [by Stephen Lewis and Evan Slawson], “Holy Land Whose Land?” [by Dorothy Drummond], and “The Ultimate Threat to Nations: Annihilation from Within” [by Fred Charles Ikle].
Are there any hidden treasures in the community you think more people should know about? Yesterday I was at this Chinese restaurant, P.F. Chang’s. It’s an excellent place; near the Government Center on Monument Drive … they have an excellent Italian restaurant too there. I’m interested in this international cuisine. I love the Indian restaurants here in Fairfax.
Road trip: I would go to Philadelphia and New York.
Personal goals: Thinking of a third book. I’d like to make sure my stepchildren get the best education. And my wife and I are thinking of having a spiritual center for people who are looking for more peaceful and more spiritual way of living.
-- Lea Mae Rice