MSI Press Blog

  Precerpt (excerpt prior to publication) from  My 20th Language  by Dr. Betty Lou Leaver --  Cognitive Load In native language processing, cognitive load is often minimized by familiarity. The reader (or listener) processes syntax, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions with automaticity, allowing attention to shift toward higher-order tasks: inference, tone, nuance, and editorial judgment. For me, this means I can read and edit at quick speed in English, absorbing full lines and paragraphs in a single glance (I actually learned to speed read as a child)—my mind chunking meaning with ease, like a pianist playing from muscle memory. Foreign language reading, however, introduces a layered complexity. Depending upon the text (something simple like an advertisement vs something more nuanced like an op ed piece), many words may demand conscious decoding for denotative, connotative, and sociolinguistic meaning—and sometimes, when working alone, that might even mean conduct...

  In a world overflowing with noise and options, making sound decisions—much less nurturing meaningful relationships—can feel like navigating in fog. But both psychology and philosophy offer luminous insights that cut through the haze, inviting us to respond more wisely, connect more deeply, and live with greater clarity. 🔍  From Reaction to Reflection: The Psychology of Wise Choices Cognitive psychology teaches us that our brains crave shortcuts—heuristics that help us move quickly. But quick doesn’t always mean wise. By learning to pause and notice cognitive biases like confirmation bias or the halo effect, we reclaim our agency. Reflection becomes our superpower. 💬  Empathy as Philosophy in Action The Stoics believed in aligning one’s actions with reason and virtue. Psychology affirms that empathic listening—truly entering another’s frame of reference—can transform communication and repair even frayed connections. When we approach others with curiosity rather th...

  When the world feels fractured—by pandemic, by war, by loss—it’s easy to believe we are each meant to weather the storm alone. But in truth, it is together, and only together, that we have ever found our way through the night. Unity is not uniformity. It does not require agreement on every doctrine or solution. It asks only that we recognize each other as part of the same human story, worthy of dignity and care. In the deepest sense, unity is spiritual—not something manufactured, but something remembered. A return to our shared breath, our shared longing, our shared capacity to begin again. Hope, too, is often misunderstood. It is not wishful thinking or blind optimism. Hope is forged, not found. It’s the quiet insistence that a better world is possible, even when evidence is scarce. It’s found in the hands that rebuild after disaster, the neighbors who keep showing up, the mothers who sing lullabies in shelters, teaching the next generation to believe in morning. Across interfai...