In languages such as English, the form or pronunciation of an article differs depending on whether the following noun begins with a consonant or a vowel. In other words, the change in the article that precedes the noun (e.g., ‘a’ or ‘an’) is influenced by the noun that follows it. There is a logical contradiction in that the article must be pronounced before the nouns to follow, yet it must already be determined and spoken even if the noun hasn’t been stated yet. This situation presents a challenge. A significant cognitive process occurs in an English-speaking person, where one must speak while simultaneously predicting the words that will come next. Learning a foreign language involves training your brain to make this process habitual, reducing the prediction time and requiring less cognitive effort. Ultimately, one must rely on patterns that are memorized through repetition. Thus, memorization and repetition serve as effective strategies to overcome these contradictory connections. -...
The most difficult writing in the Bible that I’ve ever read is ‘Job.’ In introducing ‘Job,’ the Bible states that he was a rich man of strong faith and the head of a happy family, but it does not explain the origins of the blessings he enjoyed. As he endures indescribable hardships, the reasons for his suffering remain unclear. In other words, he was blessed without explanation and suffered without explanation. The first part of the book of Job, which describes his blessings, contrasts with the latter part, in which he loses everything and eventually recovers for the first time. Yet, there is no explanation for this recovery either. Job’s life serves as a profound example of human experience. For many, the most painful aspect is to enjoy blessings without reason and to lose those blessings without reason. Our lives compel us to confront this reality, and that is the essence of our existence. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”