A PEACEFUL PHENOMENON
On Saturday 11th July, hundreds of people gathered in Regents Park to talk about PEACE.
What a wonderful thing 🦋
We used the THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS1 (TEiP) method of inviting meaningful conversations:
Thought experiments to spark ideas
Small groups of 3-5 people, shuffling every 20-30 minutes
A friendly and inclusive approach to gathering (for a lot more detail, see this footnote2)
Our conversations flowed and continued for several hours after the event.
Many people said that they felt both uplifted and relaxed afterwards, despite being called upon to help put out a wildfire halfway through the event!3
I left with many more ideas about “peace” than I arrived with, and a sense of gratitude and optimism.
It is very heartening to be surrounded by fellow humans willing to meet and talk about meaningful things in such a convivial way.
If you’re curious about our conversations, here are the thought experiments we talked about…
THE THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS
Three thought experiments to open many conversations about PEACE
1. PEACEWORKS
2. PEPPERMINT TEA
3. SUMMER IN THE CITY
1) PEACEWORKS
A new shopfront has opened up on Camden High Street.
Surrounded by garish tourist shops, tattoo parlours, and graffiti, its unadorned white exterior catches your eye.
A sandwich board outside reads, “PEACEWORKS: Making the world more peaceful…one person at a time, one moment at a time. Come on in.”
In the window there is a simple poster:
JULY OFFERING: LIBRARY OF PEACE.
A collection of the things that bring people peace.
Submissions come from around the world and demonstrate huge diversity.
A group of three passers-by pause to look at the shop front.
One of them says loudly:
“What a stupid place for that! Camden is probably the least peaceful place in the whole of London. How can you be peaceful in surroundings like this?”
Their companion responds:
“It’s the perfect place for it…Camden needs peace more than anywhere else.”
The third member of the group says:
“I think people are struggling to find peace everywhere. You can be stressed in the most peaceful place if you have a smartphone in your pocket.”
The three passers-by walk on.
Through the open front door, you see a display of images from nature: waterfalls, forests, sunrises, flowers. Next to them is a poem:
THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
-Wendell Berry4
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
Shopfront
Would you go in? Why/Why not?
The shopfront stands out for its simplicity. Is simplicity peaceful?
The images and the poem are all about nature. Why do you think nature is so strongly associated with peace?
What else do you associate with peace?
Passers-by
What do you think of the exchange between the passers-by?
Do you agree that Camden High Street is a “stupid place” for this initiative?
How much does physical context affect peacefulness?
Is having a smartphone in your pocket an obstacle to finding peace even in ‘peaceful places’?
Library of Peace
The poster in the window advertises a LIBRARY OF PEACE, “a collection of the things that bring people peace. Submissions come from around the world and demonstrate huge diversity.” What kind of thing do you think the library of peace would include?
If you had to contribute something to the library of peace, what would you contribute?
Do you think there would be any surprises in the library?
2) PEPPERMINT TEA
Carl and his friends are sitting around the kitchen table. They’ve eaten a lot and talked a lot.
Erald clears the plates.
Marjane picks peppermint leaves from the window-box and brews tea.
The pace of the conversation slows, becoming more thoughtful and reflective.
Sophia says:
“Ah, this is exactly what I needed. A peaceful evening with friends. Thank you.”
Erald asks:
“Have you been stressed recently?”
Sophia replies:
“Kind of. A normal amount of stress. But I want to become more peaceful. I think peace is my most fundamental value, so I’m trying to prioritise it.”
Carl says:
“Peace is my most fundamental value too. I’ve been so distressed by the news lately. There’s so much war in the world. I really want to do something about it, but it’s hard not to feel powerless. Do you want to come on a march with me, Sophia?”
Sophia replies:
“Oh… well no actually. I’ve been focusing on my inner peace, which means resting, reading, hanging out with you guys, drinking peppermint tea, etc. I think that’s what I need to do for now.”
Carl says:
“But don’t you want to try and make the world a more peaceful place?”
Marjane interjects:
“Maybe Sophia is making the world more peaceful by being more peaceful. I read a quote by a Buddhist monk recently5. He said:
“Humankind has become a very dangerous species. We need people who can sit still and be able to smile, who can walk peacefully. We need people like that in order to save us.” (Thích Nhất Hạnh, 1987)
And Martin Luther King told people not to protest with hate in their heart because they would spread more hate. He wanted people to protest with love in their hearts. Maybe finding peace is actually the first step towards creating peace in the world. Maybe peppermint tea is radical.”
Carl says:
“But if everyone just feels peaceful, nobody is going to do anything. We need to feel sadness and rage when we see terrible things happening because then we’ll go out and do something about it. All the biggest peace movements have started with people caring deeply and standing up for what they believe in, sometimes even with violent means.”
Erald says:
“I agree that emotion motivates action. That’s why poetry, music, literature and film are such powerful tools for galvanising people. They make people feel things. I don’t think we should try to get rid of these feelings. But I also don’t agree with violence. We should feel things, but act peacefully.”
Sophia replies:
“I actually feel the opposite. I think if it comes from a place of peace, for the purpose of peace, violence can be used. For example, if two toddlers are squabbling over a toy, you can lovingly separate them using force. For a toddler, being picked up against their will is an act of violence. But the parent lovingly does it in order to achieve peace.”
Marjane says:
“Now I don’t know what I think.” She pauses and then adds, “but I do think I’d rather feel like Sophia than Carl.”
Carl replies:
“Yeah, fair enough… I’m pretty depressed by the state of the world. I just think that if more people were depressed with me, it might make a difference. Together, we might really be able to solve some of the tragedies of our time.”
Erald says:
“I don’t think humankind will ever achieve peace.
But it’s hard to make peace with that.
I’s admirable that you care so much, Carl.
I’d like to give you this. It’s from my Alcoholics Anonymous community. I think it might help you to remain caring, but feel a little more peaceful at the same time.”
Erald hands Carl this coin.6:
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
Perspectives on “Peace”
If you were at the table, what would you say?
Which perspectives resonate with you the most?
What do you think of The Serenity Prayer on the coin?
Inner Peace vs. World Peace
How should we prioritise different types of peace? Is it unethical to put your own peace before everything else? Or is it unethical not to?
Who has a more peaceful effect on the world, Carl or Sophia? Does it matter?
Is making time to drink peppermint tea with friends radical?
Peace and Protest
What do you think of Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King’s perspectives?
Is violence ever appropriate in peacemaking?
Why do some people seem to care more about the state of the world than others?
Feeling Emotions
How important is it to feel anger and sadness and other “negative” emotions?
Can you feel sad and angry and be peaceful at the same time?
If you stopped feeling anger and sadness, would you lose anything?
3) SUMMER IN THE CITY
Mac and Pilly are stuck on a packed bus, in gridlock traffic, in central London, in the middle of a sweltering heatwave.
They’re on their way to an event about peace.
Mac:
“This is a nightmare. I hate this weather. We should have stayed in Starbucks. I need air con.”
Pilly:
“It is intense. Let’s breathe out and go with the flow.”
Mac:
“There is no flow to go with. There’s not a breath of air!”
Pilly:
“I mean go with the flow as in relax, accept it. You’ll feel way less stressed if you stop fighting with reality.”
Mac:
“Telling someone who is stressed to relax is probably one of the more stressful things you can do…
…and I’m not fighting with reality. I’m naming it: This is not a peaceful temperature! It’s a well known fact that violent crime goes up in heatwaves.7”
Pilly:
“Maybe, but hot weather is also associated with peace movements. During the Summer of Love in 1967, 100,000 people from all over the US came together to spread messages of acceptance, joy, tolerance, peace etc. The weather was hot and intense, but it also freed people to be outside and meet each other in large numbers…and to be hopeful together.8”
Mac:
“I bet those hippies annoyed quite a lot of people too.”
Pilly:
“That’s on the people who got annoyed. I don’t think your peace should be dependent on anything. Not other people’s behaviour, the weather, the football, etc. These are all things that people outsource their sense of peace to and consequently feel miserable.”
Mac:
“I’ll feel miserable if England lose the football tonight.”
Pilly:
“I know, that’s why I said it. I think peace comes from an acceptance of what is, rather than resistance. Yes, it’s hot right now. Yes it’s uncomfortable…but you’re causing yourself a whole extra layer of discomfort by trying to fight the fact it’s hot. I think that the biggest obstacle to peace is thinking that you need certain conditions in order to achieve it.”
Mac:
“Maybe one reason I don’t feel peaceful is I’m not getting much of a sense of empathy from you.”
The person sitting behind Mac and Pilly on the bus makes a noise that sounds a bit like “Amen”.
Mac and Pilly turn around and see an elegant, elderly woman standing up to exit the bus. She winks at them and hands them her card.
The card reads: “Manuela Bjorn, couples therapist”.
By the time they look up from the card, Manuela is gone.
Pilly says:
“How dare she!”
Mac replies:
“I know! What a liberty. That must be unethical.”
By the time they reach their bus stop, Mac and Pilly are firmly on the same page again, united in their antipathy towards Manuela Bjorn.
They walk into Tesco to pick up some drinks for the picnic. When the air con hits Mac, his sigh of relief is so loud it makes the person in front of him turn round.
Mac says:
“Now that is a sensation of peace. It almost makes the suffering of the bus worth it. And I wouldn’t have experienced that relief if I’d just accepted the heat like you. You didn’t sigh when you walked in here did you? This is why I’ll be supporting England tonight.”
Pilly glances down at Manuela’s card again and notices tiny writing in the bottom right corner. She looks closer and sees the words “Professional Scapegoat”.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
Hot Weather
Do you associate hot weather with peace, love, and hippies? Or an increase in violent crime?
Why do you think people use the term “hot-headed” to describe someone who is short-tempered?
How dependent on the weather is your sense of peace? Could that change?
Interpersonal Conflict
Mac and Pilly seem to argue a lot. How might they make peace?
How important is it for them to make peace?
Mac says: “Maybe one reason I don’t feel peaceful is I’m not getting much of a sense of empathy from you.” How important is empathy in peacemaking?
Manuela Bjorn
Did Manuela’s intervention create more peace or more conflict?
If people make peace by uniting against a common enemy, is it true peace? Is it good?
What do you think about scapegoats? Could “professional scapegoats” like Manuela be considered ‘peacemakers’?
Peace vs. Discomfort & Relief
Mac experienced a heightened feeling of relief when he got off the bus. He said that it almost made the suffering worth it. Which way of being do you prefer:
Continuous sense of peace, regardless of circumstances
Suffering during discomfort, but also heightened feelings of relief when the discomfort passes
Would you lose anything if you were consistently peaceful?
Will your sense of peace be affected by the outcome of the England match this evening?
Thank you for letting your imaginations play with these thought experiments
These thought experiments are by Bonny Astor, founder of THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS (TEiP).
If you would like to read more thought experiments, reflections, and news:
And for all other upcoming events and initiatives (including the next TEiP Party in the Park on the 8th August):
‘Parks’ rather than ‘Pubs’ in this case. ‘Pubs’ has become our shorthand for inclusive, relaxed, welcoming places. The word ‘Pub’ stands for ‘Public House’, places defined by their ability to bring people from different walks of life together.
The aim of this event is to share our different perspectives, experiences, and lenses on the world with one another. By listening to each other, we all become a little bit wiser.
Another aim is to have fun :-) So while our conversations might go deep, lightness and levity are also always welcome.
The vibe is relaxed and collaborative, rather than confrontational. If you disagree about something (which is likely), it is usually more interesting to ask “What led you to that opinion?”, rather than get into a debate about who’s right and who’s wrong.
We use thought experiments (tiny stories that raise big questions, see below) to spark conversations. You have freedom to interpret these thought experiments in whatever way you choose. And you have freedom to follow your conversations wherever they lead you.
Each thought experiment is followed by many questions, which open many different avenues of thinking. There are (way) too many questions to discuss in the time I will give you, so I suggest you start with the ones that intrigue you the most and go from there. You can always come back to the others during the social afterwards.
There will be several opportunities to shuffle the groups, however if for any reason you feel like moving groups sooner than an official shuffle, you are very welcome to.
Everyone loves a good listener. Please leave space for your co-conversationalists 🙏
I promise this wasn’t a theatrical twist to a thought experiment, though I am amused that some participants thought it might be!
Berry, W. (2018). The peace of wild things and other poems. Penguin.
Thích Nhất Hạnh. (1987). Being peace. Parallax Press.
QUOTE: Niebuhr, R. (1951, May 28). The weakness of common worship in American Protestantism. Christianity and Crisis, 11(9), 62.
IMAGE: Jerry “Woody.” (2010, May 4). UNKNOWN MEDALLION – POSSIBLY AADAC or NA b [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/woodysworld1778/4576712727
Reality Check team. (2018, July 19). Heatwave: Is there more crime in hot weather? BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44821796
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Summer of Love. In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_of_Love
We did the first "TEiP Talks" at this event, where some of you shared reactions to the thought experiments and reflections on the experience of discussing them together :-)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbGpenyMdiF/