Of the Pipe and Community

This is the first installment in a series, which will feature the blessed pipe and its many associations. The authors are pipe enthusiasts, but by no means aficionados. They do not mean to be taken as seriously as some might, though they take seriously their enjoyment of the pipe, as every man ought.

Of the Pipe and Community – By Josiah Clemens and J.F. Anderson (guest writers here at pipe-smokers.net)

Humans gather around warmth. Throughout history, important cultural rituals have taken place around a central, heated space or device. When man first discovered how to create fire, civilization was birthed. When man became domesticated, the focal point of the home became the hearth. Even today, when people want to get together, they often grab coffee, which serves as a warm, gravitational centerpiece.

So it is with the pipe. It is no coincidence Native Americans used the peace pipe to seal peace treaties between warring tribes. Have you ever felt like fighting while reposed with a perfectly packed bowl? Neither have we. This traditional ceremony suggests pipe smoking as a peaceful and communal activity. Perhaps emanating from the tobacco pipe is the gravity of warmth, and by it people are drawn together.

To take a more modern example, look at the Inklings. Revered by pipe smokers, intellectuals, and LOTR nerds—excuse us, fans—everywhere, the Inklings were a group of writers (most notably C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien) who met frequently at a local pub in Oxford to enjoy a pipe and a pint. Here they discussed literature and life, with a rare mix of seriousness and gaiety. Undoubtedly, the sharing of pipe tobacco and pipe technique promoted the sharing of ideas and stories in their community.

A few weeks ago, a beautiful thing occurred in our own lives. A group of a dozen or so men gathered at our own local pub to celebrate a friend’s good fortune. The air was thick and the lights were dim. Ale, pipe’s wilder cousin, surged in waves while the pipe smoke rocked gently atop the fresh night air. The joy of brotherhood was not lost on a single soul. Everyone drank of conversation and we laughed deeply. As the warm smoke drifted from our lips, so did our anxieties. We were honest and open with one another. The pipe did not create community that night, but it did enhance it.

Indeed, the pipe can be used to unify, promote, and amplify community. And warmth, man’s relational gravity, is an integral part of what makes the smoking a pipe such an enjoyable communal activity. You can quote us on this: Life is better when lived together with a pipe in hand.

Photo: Mansell/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Jan 02, 1754

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