What makes for a sad story? What touches us as the saddest story? Is it a tragedy unexpected — as in, the death of a parent, leaving behind a grieving spouse or partner, and dumbfounded kids? Or is it the story of a promising young person whose life is cut short by an accident?
Does “fault” matter? If death or grave injury occurs, does the sadness of the story depend upon whether and to whom one can ascribe blame? And does intentionality also come in as a factor — of whether the death, injury or unfortunate circumstances resulted from a deliberate and intentional act, or whether it was an “accident” where the event just played itself out without any participatory involvement of the “victim” in a given case? Or, is the sad or saddest story dependent upon the viewer, the reader, the witness, etc. — of how sensitive that person is, whether he or she possesses an empathic character or one which is somewhat more blunted and callous?
Or, as is more likely — does it depend upon both: Of the story and the receptor in combination to determine the “sadness” of a story or narrative?
In the end, the saddest story combines the elements identified: Of a potentiality cut short; involving circumstances beyond one’s control; where fault cannot be ascribed; and where someone must pay an unwilling price. Sounds somewhat like a Federal or Postal employee who must file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS.
Of course, there are greater tragedies — where death and grieving widows are concerned; but one should not discount the plight of the Federal or Postal employee who can no longer continue in his or her career, and must file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits.
Contact an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS, and begin the process of preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application, and preparing the Applicant’s Statement of Disability for OPM to ponder the saddest story.
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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Federal Disability Retirement Law: Fool’s Gold
Pyrite is often the element mistaken for gold, with its bright yellow appearance and shiny, reflective compound. Why a given mineral is determined of greater value than another of similar appearance is a complicated affair, encapsulating economic principles of supply and demand, the fungibility and replacement feature of one over the other, and the plain fact that the elemental differentiation itself constitutes “real” versus “fake”.
It is, in history books, novels and plays, a metaphor for greed, corruption, ill-fated endeavors, and motives which propel obsessions of determined failure and futility. For that which we seek with a blind eye, we end up becoming blinded to. During the course of a career, one can often lose sight of why we were working towards a goal, the values which we once cherished, and the reasons for our very essence and being.
For the Federal employee and the U.S. Postal worker who suddenly finds himself or herself with a medical condition, such that the medical condition prevents one from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s positional duties, the metaphor of the fool’s gold is an instructive one. For, to pursue one’s career at any cost, is ultimately a fool’s errand; and when the price to pay is one’s own health, such a continuing act of futility can result in greater calamity than necessitated by one’s progressively deteriorating circumstances.
Priorities in life always have to be readjusted, in order to accommodate the unexpected vicissitudes of life’s challenges.
For Federal employees and U.S. Postal Workers, the work is important for most, and is a “high priority” in order to accomplish the mission of the agency or the Postal Service; but when one’s health contraindicates the priority of one’s Federal or Postal career, a change of venue should be considered, and filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, is an important first step in making sure that the proverbial pot of gold one once sought, has not been replaced by the mirage of fool’s gold, lest the leprechaun who mended your shoes is caught during the process, in which case the three wishes granted may override the need to reshuffle one’s priorities.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
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