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1、CHAPTERIMysufferingleftmesadandgloomy.Academicstudyandthesteady,mindfulpracticeofreligionslowlybroughtmebacktolife.Ihavekeptupwithwhatsomepeoplewouldconsidermystrangereligiouspractices.Afteroneyearofhighschool,IattendedtheUniversityofTorontoandtookadouble-majorBachelor'sdegree.Mymajorswerereligiouss
2、tudiesandzoology.Myfourth-yearthesisforreligiousstudiesconcernedcertainaspectsofthecosmogonytheoryofIsaacLuria,thegreatsixteenth-centuryKabbalistfromSafed.Myzoologythesiswasafunctionalanalysisofthethyroidglandofthethree-toedsloth.Ichosetheslothbecauseitsdemeanour—calm,quietandintrospective—didsometh
3、ingtosoothemyshatteredself.Therearetwo-toedslothsandtherearethree-toedsloths,thecasebeingdeterminedbytheforepawsoftheanimals,sinceallslothshavethreeclawsontheirhindpaws.Ihadthegreatluckonesummerofstudyingthethree-toedslothinsituintheequatorialjunglesofBrazil.Itisahighlyintriguingcreature.Itsonlyreal
4、habitisindolence.Itsleepsorrestsonaveragetwentyhoursaday.Ourteamtestedthesleephabitsoffivewildthree-toedslothsbyplacingontheirheads,intheearlyeveningaftertheyhadfallenasleep,brightredplasticdishesfilledwithwater.Wefoundthemstillinplacelatethenextmorning,thewaterofthedishesswarmingwithinsects.Theslot
5、hisatitsbusiestatsunset,usingthewordbusyhereinthemostrelaxedsense.Itmovesalongtheboughofatreeinitscharacteristicupside-downpositionatthespeedofroughly400metresanhour.Ontheground,itcrawlstoitsnexttreeattherateof250metresanhour,whenmotivated,whichis440timesslowerthanamotivatedcheetah.Unmotivated,itcov
6、ersfourtofivemetresinanhour.Thethree-toedslothisnotwellinformedabouttheoutsideworld.Onascaleof2to10,where2representsunusualdullnessand10extremeacuity,Beebe(1926)gavetheslothssensesoftaste,touch,sightandhearingaratingof2,anditssenseofsmellaratingof3.Ifyoucomeuponasleepingthree-toedslothinthewild,twoo
7、rthreenudgesshouldsufficetoawakenit;itwillthenlooksleepilyineverydirectionbutyours.WhyitshouldlookaboutisuncertainsincetheslothseeseverythinginaMagoo-likeblur.Asforhearing,theslothisnotsomuchdeafasuni
