I said, "The conversation at last night's party showed happiness lives in the minds of the decadent few." She said, "Yes. It also revealed the desperate need to create possibilities for new pools of laughter." Thinking aloud, I said, "The beginning of wisdom is just a monster of a text to digest in one gathering." She replied, "Human beings have been gathering for hundreds of thousands of years in dark spaces." I added, "And feverishly painting animals on the walls of caves and cheering on their favorite teams." She said, "Hope only appears to narrow when those places are closed and decay into the ruin that time brings."