At a recent wedding, between toasts and talk of lifelong commitment, an engaging discussion broke out between a small group of friends — both staunch Democrats and Republicans. Amid hearts swollen with renewed hope in that celebratory environment, acrimony did not crash the party. It was a passionate but cordial political discussion — a modern rarity. “Beautiful” is not too strong a word for how it felt.

Absorbing this moment, it struck me that our democracy, like a marriage, cannot survive without love — not romance, but the practical, deeply human desire to live happily and peacefully together.

I see now that love is the foundation beneath the pillars of democracy. Our forefathers never explicitly mentioned this, probably because the notion was so apparent that they assumed there was n

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