Early Retirement for Injured Federal Employees
One may, of course, counter that a choice which is “forced” is actually no choice at all, and such a rebuttal possesses some merit. However, the rebuttal to the rebuttal is to say that it all depends upon what one means by “forced” — as in, was one’s liberty to choose otherwise restricted, or is it used in a looser sense, as in, “I just felt that I didn’t have any other choice, so I did X”? […]
It is not a determination which one makes about one’s self; one cannot “discard” one’s own life anymore than you can assert the existence of a twin brother merely because you see an image of yourself in the mirror. One can, of course, do all sorts of things that are deemed detrimental to one’s own self-interest — of self harm; of abandonment of a career; of making bad decisions and refusing to follow sound advice, etc. […]
“Familiarity breeds contempt” — was the unspoken rule within the military class which built a wall between officers and enlisted, supervisors and subordinates, bosses and workers, etc. Why is that? Is it because, beneath the veneer of superiority, we all know that we’re no better than others, and once the imperfections cleverly concealed are unraveled for others to witness, the scoffing laughter and the smirking undertone will openly splatter with a defiance of disdain? […]
At the outset, you realize that something is wrong with the caption. Not being a noun, the space following demands the question, “The dismal what?” Adjectives require it; we all learned about them in grade school (if that is even taught, anymore) about grammar, and how they “modify” the noun. It cannot stand alone. It is a peculiar adjective, isn’t it? It is one that cannot modify a noun except in a negative way. […]
Inertness for a human being is always an option; although normally a default choice, it is nevertheless an alternative one chooses, rather than what we state to ourselves in justifying the negation of doing something: Just disregard it, and it will go away. The default is embraced once the choice is made to do nothing further. Governments are great at that, and ours in particular […]
What would we say about a person who, having bought a lottery ticket, goes out and spends lavishly, quits his job and becomes indebted far beyond his means — all prior to the day when the “winning numbers” are declared? We would consider that he or she is: Crazy; irresponsible; or, perhaps, has some “insider knowledge” that we are not privy to. Most acts lack a presumptuous intent; many, merely of thoughtless motivations; […]
Two quick observations about the game of Chess and those who play it: Few are actually very good at it; and, like self-image and a false sense of confidence for many in the United States, too many who play it believe themselves to be very good at it. Stefan Zweig wrote about the game brilliantly in his novella, the “Chess Story” (or otherwise translated or sometimes referred to as “The Royal Game”), and debunked the notion that the greatest of players are by implication, […]
Bad things come in pairs, or is it triplets? Is there a tendency to relate and categorize in terms of color, logical sequence, similarities and characteristics? Is the Kantian model of imposing categories upon an otherwise orderless universe the reason why we relate negative events in bunches, like grapes growing upon vines waiting to be picked? Or do bad things happen in combinations naturally, as a law that cannot be avoided? […]
How one leaves is often important — not just subjectively, but encompassing consequences and reverberations unanticipated. Consider the ultimate departure — of leaving a Will or not. One might counter that, well, What difference does it make?; I won’t be there to witness what happens after I am gone; and, in any event, who cares if they fight over what little possessions I leave. […]
If an alien from another universe came to visit the world of Humans and somehow landed within sight of a gym or some semblance of a physical fitness facility, and remained invisible to the watchful eye, the single contraption that would puzzle and befuddle would be the treadmill. For, ambulation upon the mechanical device would surely be observed; […]