Am I flotsam? Or am I jetsam? As flotsam, I am wreckage; floating debris from destructive circumstance; a mere part of the landscape. As jetsam, I am a tangible, tossed aside or thrown overboard, actions often justified as for the greater good. As flotsam I remain property of the state. As jetsam I may be claimed by another state.

Considering these differences, I believe my typical, everyday, perhaps unconscious existence is as flotsam, with (depending on my awareness and sensitivity) frequent, conscious reminders that I am also at times jetsam. This is not depictive of every aspect of my life, but it is absolutely true as a full-time employee, as a capitalist consumer, as a citizen of this country.