Keller @ Large: The Quest For Love

BOSTON (CBS) - So I'm in the MBTA board of directors meeting the other day, and who should walk in but the one and only Mel King, veteran social activist, former state rep, still the only African-American Bostonian to make the runoff in a mayoral race.

There he was, 86 years young, a little slow on his feet but looking awfully good and, as always, spending his time advocating for important social causes, in this case, viable public transportation.

I spent a fair amount of time following him around in that 1983 mayoral race and while his politics weren't for everyone, he was a always – and still is – a courageous and dignified presence.

So I snuck over, shook hands with him, and asked him how he managed to look so good at his age. He gave me a little smile and said: "Love."

Once again, Mel King is a messenger worth listening to.

The arrival of Valentine's Day Saturday can be a depressing time for people who haven't been lucky enough to find real love. In spite of more technological ways to meet people than ever before, it can be awfully hard to find love, as the marriage and divorce statistics prove.

And as hard as romantic love is to find, forget about the love of mankind that we're told should be our holy grail. That sort of love is more scarce than ever in our political and cultural dialogue.

But we really don't have any choice but to keep on trying to find and nurture love. Without it, life is just one long, grim commute on the Red Line, with nothing at Alewife or Braintree but a parking garage.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.