Shahriar Zangeneh

On the occasion of Valentine's Day, a day dedicated to verbalizing love for the object of affection, how about a story of a love in full bloom. No not another mushy personal story nor a vignette of one, rather a nonfictional snippet of an affair of the heart.

It is the story of a dynamic love that as it ages it is rejuvenated, giddiness of love is reinforced by wisdom of thought, maturity brings youthful strength, intensity of passion begets clarity, and the more tender it becomes as time passes. It is the story of such potent desire that eventually it overcomes customs, deeply cherished religious beliefs and doctrines.

Yes, the subject is the ongoing political process in the U.S. In the heat of the moment, the back and forth political arguments, pro this and anti that, the platitudes and mudslinging one thing is for certain the American Democracy has already handed the world another manifestation of its perpetual reincarnation in pursuit of unequivocal love of freedom.

In that context it really does not matter whom the winner of the next Presidential election is, the actual winner has already been declared, Democracy.

The victory is in the color, gender and age composition of the contenders. Till January 1, 1863 this society legally practiced the custom of enslaving human beings adorned with abundance of ultimate natural UV protectant Melanin and eventually went to actual hot war with itself over its abolition.

Even as little as couple of decades ago the mere sighting of mixed couples walking together would turn heads and disapproving frowns.

The current frontrunner in the up and down twisting road to party nomination is a live testament to the ability of the system to empower the very same society to repair its failings.

The women's suffrage pioneer Susan B. Anthony did not live long enough to see the passage of the nineteenth amendment to the constitution affirming the voting right of the women in 1920. The other contender for the Presidency of the United States is a person who represents a gender that almost no one could even fathom the idea not that long ago.

A society that glorifies and idolizes youth and spends inordinate amount of its talent and treasure, let alone suffering surgery pain, in its pursuit, would have elected the oldest to date President should the opposing party’s frontrunner become one.

The only force powerful enough to overcome all obstacles in pursuit of these goals is love. To all those who love freedom, cherish it and love to spread it, Happy Valentine's.