Conversation reminds us that we are not alone, that shared language is the opportunity to try on our many masks to see how many of them we can do without. The variety of pleasures accrued from conversation--"layers of pleasure"--deepen only as they move away from the individual orbits into the circle of mutual experience. When conversation is effortless and witty, it elicits a fleeting pleasure--"Narcissus.""Phatic communion" (small talk) is less superficial because it seeks pleasure not only in serving the self, but in letting others know you desire to identify with them. Unfortunately, this exchange usually becomes our most conspicuous escape from intimacy. The layer where pleasure is profound enough to last a lifetime is called "self-discovery." This level constitutes the truth that we cannot come to know ourselves except as we see ourselves in the eyes of another. Conversation at its deepest level of pleasure is called "mutual discovery." This type of conversation transcends the parties involved and must be instantly recognized as being close to the core of life itself. (EE)