Last Updated on November 11, 2022
The problem with the linguistic universe is that they create a parallel universe which can be completely devoid of any connection or correspondence to the reality of the world which we occupy; thus the span of genres of imaginary creations, including fiction, science fiction, fantasy; as well as the virtual world of video games (which encompasses language because of the imaginary conversations which act “as if” the events occurring in the game itself are real).
The danger of language is that it may well communicate far more than what the objective world represents; and, conversely, it can also convey far less than what one may intend.
In preparing, formulating and filing for FERS Disability Retirement benefits from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the point of language is to describe and delineate the reality of one’s situation; the severity of one’s medical condition; the logical nexus between one’s disabling medical condition and the positional duties one must engage; and the reasoning, based upon medical evidence, of why the Federal government employee or Postal Service worker cannot perform one or more of the basic elements of one’s job.
The wide chasm between the world of language and the world of objectivity is the test of success; for, it is the one who can close that gap, and represent the reality of one’s universe by the correspondence of language, who will achieve a successful outcome.
The great divide between language and reality is a challenge which must be approached with care and trepidation; for, in the end, if language fails to correspond to reality, what would be the point of civilization in its endeavor to maintain the historicity of its existence?
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire