Some people start learning a new language because they want to make more friends or connect more easily with people from different countries and cultures. I used to think the same until I came across something called the "language barrier". Maybe you’ve read Adieu Gary Cooper (Goodbye Gary Cooper), one of the best novels in French literature. It opens with a really beautiful scene. Lenny, a charming and good-looking American who’s passionate about skiing and believes that the only rules worth following are the ones above 2,000 meters, meets Jessica, and their relationship feels deep and genuine, surprisingly so. But here’s the twist: Jessica doesn’t speak English, and they don’t understand a word of what the other is saying. Still, somehow, their connection is amazing without even having a single conversation. But then Jessica starts learning English, and once she becomes able to talk, they slowly realize there’s nothing meaningful holding them together. Their bond fades. It reminded me of a beautiful old Persian verse that says: "سخن چون در میان افتد دو لب از هم جدا گردد" “When words come between, the lips part.” Maybe that’s what conversation really is. sometimes, the more we talk, the more that quiet closeness between two people disappears.