The World Will Always Welcome Lovers
By Paul Mauchline

On a recent trip to North America, I was astonished to see the media circus -- the focus and attention of the world - surrounding one kiss: the kiss between Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper during the Democratic Convention.
 
In a recent U.S. based global publication, I read an article entitled, "Gore's kiss is so '60s - and probably fake." In fairness to the writer of this article, he is entitled to his own opinion: for that I do not judge him. I guess what bothers me, and what I question is, "Why the hoopla?" Oh right ... I forgot... We are in the arena of politics in The United States. God forbid that a politician shows some emotion and love in front of the voting public! For the most part, all the articles I read about "The Kiss' were pessimistic: they felt the whole kiss was staged, and believed that Al & Tipper were grandstanding for the sake of votes. The article that I mentioned above ends with the following: "And if it is shown, it is credible. It is real. I grew up learning to make the opposite assumption: My deepest instinct tells me that if something is paraded in public, then it must be false - a mere performance."
 
I am neither a resident nor a citizen of The United States. However, for what it's worth, here is my opinion of "The Kiss." By chance, I saw Al Gore's speech on television that evening and witnessed "The Kiss" between Al and his wife. How did I feel? I enjoyed his speech, listening closely to each word. The message I received not only from his speech, but even more from Mr. Gore's face, was that this man feels emotion -- and more importantly love -- for his country, his late father, his elderly mother, his wife, and his children. There was the speech, and there was "The Kiss." It was, indeed, a long kiss... But, so what? The man, in my opinion, was genuine, full of emotion and love, as the long road of his personal life and political career finally brought him to this moment, when his wife, his family, and the entire Democratic Party affirmed their faith in him as a nominee for President of The United States. He is a human being and did something very natural: he gave his wife a big, long, tongue-in-the-mouth kiss. So what is the big deal, I ask you? Why do we feel that a politician cannot give his wife a long, wet kiss in public when he so desires?
 
I, for one, commend Al Gore. He is a loving person. He displayed not only his love, but also courage rather than fear. I enjoy watching happy, loving couples. "The Kiss" may have been staged, but, based on my observation, I feel that it was genuine and came from the heart. I feel it is a nice change to see some love in the political arena: what a nice example for the rest of the world, especially for the American people. Based on the public opinion expressed in the countless books and articles I read, I get the sense that people want more love and less fear in their lives. Maybe that is something the media of the world should ponder, before jumping on this anti-kissing bandwagon again.
 
My thoughts while I write this article bring me to some lyrics of an old song that Jimmy Durante used to sing:
 
"As Time Goes By."
You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
And when two lovers woo
They still say I love you
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by
 
I say to Al and Tipper: just keep kissing whenever your hearts desire, and never lose that attitude of love for one another. You truly are a fine example to the rest of us in the world. As the song says, "The world will always welcome lovers, as time goes by."
 
Copyright © 2000-2001. All rights reserved. Paul Mauchline