The charge against Bishop Berkeley has always been one of contemptuous absurdity. For, if all that we can ever rely upon are sense impressions, then how can one maneuver through the dangers of the physical universe without bumping into tables and chairs, with calamitous consequences of mortal endangerment? If we step from Room A into Room B, does the former disappear and lose objective existence while the latter reappears and reconstitutes itself into a viable, vibrant universe? But that is precisely Berkeley’s point, isn’t it? One could argue that his philosophy represented the nascent murmurings of the English linguistic movement (perhaps he is turning in his grave, as he was born in Ireland), where definitional realignment of language became the methodology of solving all philosophical problems.
Thus, in pure technical terms, inasmuch as what we perceive are merely changes to our sense perceptions, as opposed a direct contact with the physical universe, his approach merely confirmed Kant’s later bifurcation of the world into an objective universe versus a subjective, humanly perceptible world. And, indeed, we tend to become lost in the universe of our own making. That is often the problem which confronts the Federal and Postal employee who finally comes to a realization that one’s Federal or Postal job has been, and remains, in jeopardy because of an ongoing medical condition which has been impacting one or more of the essential elements of one’s job.
The internal ruminations spurred by worries, concerns, stresses and anxieties, often form a wall where the evidence of change and the need for alternative measures is prevented because of the blindness of our awareness. Concerns can be overwhelming; and when medical conditions impact the Federal or Postal Worker, such that the Federal and Postal Worker is beset with chronic pain, psychiatric conditions which overtake one’s capacity to possess the acuity of mind needed to maneuver through this complex world, etc., then it is too often the case that the one who is impacted by the medical condition — the Federal or Postal employee — is the one who is the last to notice the evidence of change and the need for change.
Clinging on to the habituation of daily living provides a level of comfort necessary for sanity. But staying on when everyone else — the agency, supervisors, coworkers, etc. — has changed in their attitude and approach to embracing the Federal or Postal worker as the valued employee he or she was once considered, is a foolhardy and stubborn refusal to acknowledge the obvious.
Filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS or CSRS, through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, is the first step in recognizing the growing evidence of and for change. And, whether what we perceive are merely sense impressions, or the actual rumblings of the objective universe, the reality of one’s medical condition which the Federal and Postal employee must face in determining the best course of action, should always involve a focus upon one’s own best interest, and that may include consideration of filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquir
Filed under: Reflections of an OPM Disability Retirement Lawyer | Tagged: after a serious illness or injury in the federal workplace - recognizing when change is necessary, an opportunity of moving forward with your life and leave behind a postal job you cannot physically do anymore, another kind of light bulb moment: the change of circumstances, Berkeley’s philosophy, change can be difficult but sometimes in needed for survival: opm disability retirement, change with turmoil for disabled postal employees, confronting needed change: when federal employees can not longer do their same work, confronting reality about your physical limitations in the federal workplace, coping with change after disability in the post office, denying the severity of your medical condition will not help your federal career or the reality of your physical or mental condition, differentiating unrealistic hope from pragmatic assessment, don't deny the severity of the symptoms, fers disability: changes in physical abilities and changes in lifestyle, filing for opm disability retirement may not change the behavior of the agency but the obvious benefits will come after retirement, halting the progressive deterioration of a medical condition often begins with a major change of life style, how fast you recognize your physical or psychiatric limitations may depend on your personality type but at the end you may end up filing for opm disability retirement anyway, how things change with a disability in the federal workplace, life does not end with opm disability retirement -- only your job changes, perception and where to go after disability in the workplace, postal workers and chronic physical disabilities, realizing that in general terms people don't like change and when a disability is reported in the federal workplace both management and coworkers will usually react negatively, shifting paradigms: when we must change and adapt to our new realities, the ability of accurate self-perception and appropriate decision making are abilities that many times postal employees will lack with certain medical conditions, the disabled federal employee and career changes, the insidious medical condition that can shape our perception of the world around us, the light duty postal worker: finding a job you can physically do, the reality of a medical condition affects the way the disabled federal worker sees reality, trying to change things you have some control over, unwelcome change (a medical condition) should lead to some difficult decisions for change (fers disability retirement), when change is good: opm disability retirement, wishing to overcome a disability but being physically unable to do so, your abilities may change after an injury or illness but the struggle must go on with opm disability retirement | Leave a comment »
