Transcript for Episode 13: 

Quaker Testimony - Peace

Ann:

Welcome to this podcast series coming courtesy of Silver Wattle Quaker Centre, located in central New South Wales on the edge of Werriwa or Lake George, the largest freshwater lake in Australia. We acknowledge and give thanks for First Nations groups’ care of Country. We commit to its ongoing care.

I’m Ann Zubrick, a member of the Silver Wattle Board.

In 2026, Introducing early Quakers expanded into a new series, exploring Quaker values and testimonies.

Through personal reflections shared by Australian friends. These episodes draw on the experiences and insights of several contributors and are narrated by different voices within the Quaker community. Together, they invite us to reflect on how Quaker testimonies continue to shape faith and practice today.

Here is Introducing Early Quakers Episode 12:

A personal reflection on the integrity testimony. Written and narrated by Duncan Frewin. 

Michael:

Reflections on a Peace Testimony

By John Beattie

In late 1970, I moved to Belfast to take up a senior social work position with the City Welfare Department. As I had anticipated, this was an interesting and challenging professional opportunity.

However, something I had not foreseen was the level of destruction and violence that I would regularly encounter in the course of my duties.

One day is memorable for all the wrong reasons. On the 21st of July 1972, Belfast was torn apart by a series of terrorist attacks across the city. Eleven people were killed, 130 were injured, and many others deeply traumatised.

A statement issued by the perpetrators described the carnage as an act of war, adding that they had given civilians adequate prior warnings of the bombings. Many of those warnings proved to be hoaxes, which increased the number of civilian casualties.

I and my colleagues set off to organise emergency relief for the residents whom the explosions had displaced. Memories of the chaos and trauma I witnessed remain with me to this day.

One of those killed was a 14-year-old boy called Stephen, who was the son of the Reverend Joseph Parker, chaplain to the Belfast Mission to Seamen.

Some weeks later, I had been invited to attend a social event organised by a local church where, to my surprise, Reverend Parker was one of the speakers. His address focused on the need for reconciliation between warring sectarian communities, which he believed could only be achieved if people had peace in their hearts.

Most of the audience appeared rather confused at this suggestion, and there was an embarrassing silence as Parker left the stage. Then some of the hardliners started to boo. Along with a small group known as the Peace People, Parker spent the next year working tirelessly for peace and reconciliation.

From time to time, I find my thoughts returning to Parker’s call for peace in our hearts. At this time in history, when our nightly news broadcasts show horrific videos of war-torn Ukraine, Palestine and Lebanon, I ask myself: in what way will peaceful hearts bring us back from what seems to be the brink of widespread international war?

In this opinion piece, I will share some of my thoughts.

What Does Peace Mean?

Peace has several meanings: calmness or serenity; the end or resolution of a conflict; the absence of fear, or violence, or the fear of violence.

Peace can be experienced by individuals, families and other small groups, and by communities and nations. World peace is also a possibility. However, given the current numerous conflicts worldwide, this prospect will probably take some time to eventuate.

Peace can be a short-term or intermittent phenomenon, or something longstanding. It is unlikely to be permanent, except when it is used to describe the end-of-life experience. For example: “He died peacefully, surrounded by his family.”

Some environments are often described as peaceful, particularly natural attractions such as forests, mountains and lakes. It could be argued that peace can only be experienced by sentient beings, and that these peaceful places are simply places where individuals and groups are more likely to experience peace.

Why Is Peace So Elusive?

Peace is not a biological phenomenon. Indeed, all animal species, including humans, have survived through four basically hormonally driven instincts: fighting, fleeing, feeding and mating. For most of human history, only individuals with sufficient strength have survived long enough to pass on their genes to future generations. In recent millennia, however, there have been progressive improvements in the longevity and quality of human life. This has been largely due to developments in education, science, democratic government and public administration.

Building Peace, One Block at a Time

Some of the components of peacemaking are individual peace, spirituality or religion, conflict resolution, human rights, public discourse and investment.

Some of history’s best-known peace activists placed considerable importance on inner peace. For example, the Dalai Lama said, “Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible.”

And Martin Luther King spoke: “Be the peace you wish to see in the world.”

Conflict among individuals, communities and nations is inevitable. Needs, wants and values differ, as can perceptions of the truth. Human conflict typically generates a range of unpleasant emotions, such as anger, fear or guilt. These emotions are frequently accompanied by a hormonally driven fight-or-flight reaction. This can lead to verbal or physical altercations from which a clear winner may emerge, and the matter is concluded.

Often, however, grief lingers. Grievances linger. Eventually, the battle will resume. This can lead to ongoing feuds, with this cycle of winners and losers. Third-party interventions may be needed to break the cycle of aggression and violence.

On a prisoner of conscience.

“Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.”

What canst thou say?

Ann:

We hope these stories inspire and inform you.

You can explore more about Silver Wattle’s retreats and learning opportunities, both in person and online, at silverwattle.org.au.

Episode 13: Peace DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What does “peace in our hearts” mean to you, and how might inner peace contribute to peace in our communities or the wider world?

2. John suggests that conflict is inevitable. What makes the difference between conflict that becomes destructive and conflict that leads to understanding or change?

3. What role do human rights, justice and meeting people’s basic needs play in creating lasting peace?

4. How does the Quaker Peace Testimony speak to the conflicts and divisions we see in the world today?