# Christopher Nightingale and the tin-can bomb

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-christopher-nightingale-bomb
- Themes: mistakes, childhood, trust, humour
- Life situations: parenting, owning up to mistakes

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At age ten, Ajahn Brahm and his chemistry-wizard friend Christopher Nightingale make a bomb in a tin can and set it off in the local park. The park keeper catches them. He contrasts that 'kids being kids' era with today's terrorism fears (Guantanamo joke).

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

I know one of the most stupid things I did as a kid, only 10 years of age, and one of my best friends, I still remember his name, Christopher Nightingale. He was a wizard chemistry and together we made a bomb. We made a bomb in a tin can. And my goodness, it worked. We let it off in the local park. It went bang. And we thought we were so good and so wonderful. I was so proud of just how loud that went. Until the park keeper caught the both of us. We were in big trouble after that. But you know, those were the days when it's just kids being kids. You know, if I made a bomb these days, kids made a bomb these days, they get sent to Guantanamo Bay as terrorists. Those innocent days of my youth. But it was dangerous. I could have killed myself or blown off a hand or something.

## Teaching point

Children make dangerous mistakes; what they need is help and trust, not only punishment.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

At ten, Ajahn Brahm and a chemistry-mad friend set off a tin-can bomb in the park. Dangerous and stupid, he admits; he could have lost a hand. Children will make mistakes. If they fear only punishment, they learn to lie. Build the kind of trust where they can tell you the truth and get help.

## Source

- [Trust | Ajahn Brahm | 01-04-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ4r0C3IcWU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 17:06 to 17:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ4r0C3IcWU&t=1026s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Bringing Up Children | Ajahn Brahm | 09-12-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANrqHO24Ttw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 44:46 to 45:17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANrqHO24Ttw&t=2686s
- [Ajahn Brahm's 73rd Birthday - Fundraising for Bodhinyana Great Southern, Albany | 11 August 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHRtrs72-4w) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:15:22 to 1:16:40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHRtrs72-4w&t=4522s