Last Updated on March 3, 2014 by FERS Disability Attorney
The anomaly is that change occurs only within the context of constancy; for, if everything was perpetually in a state of flux, the very concept of ‘change’ would lose its meaning. It is similar to the argument often made in philosophy where one posits that everything we perceive ‘is merely a dream’; yet, one cannot even arrive at a concept of dreaming until and unless we first acknowledge the reality and existence of a mind which dreams. We therefore often confuse that which comes after by forgetting the preconditions which are required for positing the subsequent argument.
Ultimately, what is necessary is the foundation of any argument, in order for the flurry of changing activities to flourish. But a balance must always be sought, and it is when change itself becomes a constancy, and overtakes the undergirding of stability, that one’s life becomes one of chaos and turmoil.
Medical conditions tend to do that to people. The lack of relief from constant pain; the upheaval of psychiatric conditions, of panic-induced attacks and racing minds; of insomnia and non-restorative sleep; of medications which are necessary but have serious side effects; and the interruptions from stability by the necessity of doctor’s appointments, loss of time at the job, etc.
All appears to be in flux and turmoil.
For the Federal and Postal employee who suffers from such a treadmill of turmoil, consideration should be given in filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. It is offered to all FERS & CSRS employees. Where work was once a column of stability, during a chronic and progressively deteriorating medical condition, it can become the source of increased stress and anxiety because of the lack of understanding or empathy from coworkers, supervisors and the agency in general.
Preparation of a proper and effective Federal Disability Retirement application is essential; flux, turmoil and change should be the intermission, and not the main event. As such, reversal of course in order to establish the principle of life should be the goal: of stability first, and changes thereafter.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire