"Found that just surviving was a noble fight." -- Billy Joel

Buying a coffee for the beleaguered canvasser

First, I’d like to thank my high school friend EJZ for introducing me to the Billy Joel Song “Angry Young Man.” And I’d like to thank my Billy Joel fans who have waited for a few years now for another entry quoting our Pianoman!

When I first listened to “Angry Young Man,” I knew that I identified with the angry young man, not the narrator. I believed in causes. I was filled with righteous anger, and rightly so. Now that the Epstein mess has dragged in my high school, Interlochen, you may have some idea of what I went through before I even got to college. I had a reason to be angry and my friends had reasons too.

For years, anger was my fuel. While at Yale, I mostly had fun… the Yale Political Union, working as a computing assistant and taking computer science classes, getting frozen mochas at the Daily Cafe… all a short break from the CAUSE. But the strike of the Yale Unions in 1996 came around and I signed on… with lifelong results.

I believe I’ve passed the age

Of consciousness and righteous rage

Found that just surviving was a noble fight.

I once believed in causes too, had my pointless point of view.

Life went on no matter who was wrong or right.

— Billy Joel, “Angry Young Man.”

There’s still more angry young man in me than I sometimes believe, but I’ve learned that just surviving is a noble fight. Every day that I go and do my very hard job, take care of my kitty, keep the house clean and the bills paid, is a victory. I want to expect so much more of myself, but just surviving is a noble fight.

On Saturday at the farmers’ market, I ran into the same canvasser I had met the week before. He was canvassing for a liberal nonprofit that does environmental things. I’m not a fan and if I had extra money it would go first to my own family then to a cat shelter. Not to a liberal nonprofit. Be that as it may…

This young man, whose name wasn’t Zion but I’ll call him that, was very sweet, enthusiastic, and exhausted. I had met him the week before when we had a conversation about how I’m not going to support his nonprofit. Then we chatted more about how hard canvassing is. Having done union house visits and phone banks, I know. It’s awful to put yourself out for target practice, begging from anyone and making yourself vulnerable to all their anger and frustration. I’m always nice to canvassers, no matter what.

This week Zion was more tired. He asked me again to join and I reminded him that I wasn’t going to. But I said I hoped he was doing okay.

He tried to put a good face on it.

I pulled out the $2 in cash I had in my pocket and said, “Could I give you this? Buy a cup of coffee on me.”

He said his account was down to zero and he might just by a bottle of water. That seems good. He was really grateful though.

It helps to see that someone cares. Neither of us are bought into the political cause he’s standing out there begging for - but we are both humans who have been through it. I wanted to help him with what I could.

Zion is out there surviving. So I am. So are you. It’s a noble fight. Some days we can do more than survive, but on those days when we just make it, let’s not sell ourselves short.

And there’s always a place for the angry young man…

The farm not long before we had to leave, as the sun was setting casting a shadow on the trees. That would not be a good place for the angry young man. It’s too peaceful.