Wittgenstein was a keen observer of the world; “Language games” is a term which he employed, and it encompassed the full panoply of various linguistic contexts in the arena of communicating. He would have been fascinated by the turn of linguistic events in modernity — of how the explosion of technology has changed the application of language; but lamented, perhaps, the loss of care and precision in usage.
Once, for example, there was “husband and wife”. Over time, of course, it sounded a bit mundane, and needed some “spicing up”. So, young people decided to apply such terms as “partners”, “spiritual partners”, “lovers”; “companions”; “significant other”, and perhaps other nomenclatures applied to replace the old, worn-out, biblical ascription of “Husband and Wife”.
But life tends to modify (or mollify?) such youthful caricatures: In the end, whatever euphemisms are applied, someone has to take out the garbage; change the baby’s diapers; wake up in the middle of the night to feed the critter; do all the chores which make up the compendium of “running a household”, etc. And, in the end, it matters little whether the language game involves spicing up of terms — for, whether a partner, a lifetime partner, a spiritual partner-for-life or some “significant other”, the plain reality is that life has to be lived whether under one assumed name or another.
For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition prevents the Federal or Postal employee from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, the language games applied in preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, are important.
For, as a “paper presentation” to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, what words we choose, the nomenclatures applied, the descriptive adjectives invoked — all are important in formulating an effective application.
And while, whether or not you use “husband and wife” or “lifetime partners”, someone still has to take out the garbage and do the laundry, and someone has to prepare an effective Federal Disability Retirement application. It might as well be an effective lawyer who specializes in the practice area of FERS Disability Retirement Law exclusively — and yes, a fee is charged, but no garbage, please.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill
Lawyer exclusively representing Federal and Postal employees to secure their Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
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Disability Retirement for Federal Government Employees: What not to say
Of course what not to say is as important as the things one says. Such a warning is true in most contexts — social; professional; personal; familial; in either private or public settings. We are taught that at an early age, and continue to feel its social and cultural “bite” throughout adulthood, until one has (hopefully) gained some wisdom throughout the years.
Some never learn it — perhaps because they never had to endure the consequences that naturally come about, or simply don’t care or, in the very rare instance of uniqueness, do not need to care either because of wealth, power or prestige that, like the teflon individual, no amount of social crudeness will wipe the sheen away.
“Don’t stare” is an admonition that parents make early on — another form of “what not to say”, except this one in correcting a non-verbal action. “Don’t say things that are hurtful”, or “Don’t divulge private information to people you don’t know”, as well as the one that has to be balanced with concerns about putting too much fear into a child: “Don’t talk to strangers”.
It is, indeed, the “don’ts” in life that define the social graces within acceptable normative behaviors, and as the spoken work (or the written, as the case may be) takes up so much of human interaction, what we learn not to say, how we act and are restrained from acting, often defines the extent of a person’s maturity and learning.
It is often the negative which defines the positive — i.e., what we do not see is rarely noticed, but constrains that which is revealed (the positive) so that the unseemly and rough edges have been worn away, manifesting a smoothness that borders upon beauty. But never underestimate the destructive force of that which is negated; for, if forgotten, it will resurface and damage.
Thus, for Federal and Postal employees who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition is beginning to prevent the Federal or Postal worker from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, always remember that — in preparing, formulating and getting ready to file a Federal or Postal Disability Retirement application — it is important to keep in mind those things NOT to say or reveal; for, once you admit freely a legal basis upon which a denial becomes a certainty, it is difficult to retract that which is revealed.
So, in the end, your parents are proven right: What they told you NOT to say is precisely the rule to follow. The problem, however, is that when it comes to dealing with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, you will need to consult with an experienced attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law in order to comprehend the full import of what not to say.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
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