Video I took while photographing for a client in #CostaRica.I was purely doing stills of all wildlife & nature in Costa Rica, but ended up witnessing a two m. Sloths are three times stronger than us. When two sloths fight it is typically over access to a female for mating, and the aim of a sloth fight is to knock your opponent out of the tree. The tiny island of Escudo de Veraguas is home to the pygmy three-toed sloth. Smaller than its mainland relatives it lives in the mangroves of its paradise island home. 2- two toed sloths. Imported 7/18/2020. He lives with other sloths, but has recently starting fighting with my adult male. There is a HUGE.

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Taken from thebookof the same title by DOM LORENZO SCUPOLI
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2 Sloths Fighting Games

CHAPTER TWENTY: HOWTO COMBATSLOTH

IT IS OF THE GREATEST importance tomake waragainst sloth. This vice is not only an obstacle on our way toperfection,but it delivers us over to the enemies of our salvation. If you desireto fight this vice in earnest, begin by avoiding all curiosity and vainamusements. Withdraw your affections from worldly things and stop allpursuitsthat are not in harmony with your state of life.

Strive assiduously to comply withthe inspirationsof Heaven, to execute the orders of your superiors, to do everything atthe proper time and in the proper manner. Do not hesitate a moment intheexecution of a command. The first delay brings on a second, this athird,and thus we lose ground. For the dread of labor and the love of easeincreasein proportion to their indulgence. Labor becomes so distasteful that alethargic hesitancy in applying oneself to work, or even the totalneglectof work, is the result.

It is difficult to shake off thehabit ofsloth, once it is acquired, unless shame accompanies this indolent lifeand rouses us to greater diligence and application. Sloth, moreover, isa poison that spreads itself through all the faculties of the soul. Itnot only infects the will by making work odious to it, but also theunderstandingby so blinding it that the resolutions of the slothful usually have noeffect. What should be done without delay is either neglected ordeferredto some other time.

Mere swiftness of action, however,is notenough. Things must be done at the proper time, and in the most perfectmanner possible. A precipitous act, which is done with no regard foritsproper execution, but only to be rid of the trouble and to enjoy peaceagain as soon as possible, cannot be called diligent. It is rather anartful,refined sloth.

This disorder springs from a failureto considerthe great value of a good work which is done at the proper time and ina correct manner. Such an act overcomes all the obstacles which slothplacesbefore those who enter the battle against their vices.

Reflect frequently, therefore, thata singleaspiration, an ejaculation, a genuflection, the least sign of respectforthe Divine Majesty, is of greater value than all the treasures of theearth.Every time a person mortifies his inclinations, the Angels present himwith a crown of glory as a reward for the victory gained over himself.

On the contrary, God graduallywithdraws Hisgraces from those who neglect them, and increases the fervor of thediligentsouls until, at length, He introduces them into the joys of Heaven.

You may, at first, find yourstrength insufficientto undergo all the difficulties and troubles that you will encounter onyour road to perfection. Then you must acquire the habit of hiding themfrom yourself. They will appear more insignificant than the slothfulareapt to imagine them to be.

When an act must be repeated manytimes inorder to acquire some particular virtue, and this has to be continuedforseveral days in opposition to countless powerful enemies, begin to dotheseacts as though a few would suffice and your trouble would soon end.Attackone enemy at a time, as though you had but one to encounter. Beconfidentthat, with God's grace, you will master them all. In this way you willovercome your sloth and acquire the contrary virtue.

Use the same method in regard toprayer. Ifyou are to pray for an hour, and the time seems long, begin as thoughyouwere to pray but a quarter of an hour. When that is finished, proposeanotherquarter hour, and the hour will elapse imperceptibly.

If, however, during this period youexperiencea great repugnance and aversion to prayer, cease praying for a while.Ina snort time return again to the prayers that you had interrupted.

This is also true in regard tomanual labor.If you feel that you are overwhelmed by the amount of work before youandby the difficulties involved, do not permit indolence to discourage you.

Begin with what demands yourimmediate attentionand do not think of the rest. Be very diligent, for when this is welldone,the remainder will follow with much less trouble than you hadanticipated.

This is the way to facedifficulties. Neverhesitate to work. There is good reason to fear lest sloth should sotriumphwithin you that even the first step towards virtue is made impossible,and a horror of work is imprinted on your mind before you have actuallyexperienced the least difficulty in its accomplishment. This is whathappensto weak, cowardly souls. They are in continual dread of the enemy, nomatterhow weak and remote from them he may be. They are ever apprehensivelestmore should be laid upon them than they can bear. Consequently, theyhaveno rest even when most at ease.

Realize, then, that in this vicethere isa poison which not only chokes the first seeds of virtue, but evendestroysthose already formed. What the worm does in wood, sloth effects in thespiritual life. It is used very successfully by the devil to draw menintosnares, particularly those who seek perfection.

Guard yourself, pray, and do good.Do notdefer making your wedding garment until you are called upon to go forthand meet the Heavenly Bridegroom.

Reflect every day on the fact thatHe Whohas granted you the morning has not promised the evening, and, shouldHegrant this, He gives no assurance of the following morning. Spend eachday, therefore, as if it were the last; cherish nothing but the will ofGod, for you will have to render a strict account for every moment.

2 Sloths Fighting Hacked

A final observation should be made.Althoughyou have transacted a great deal of business and have undergone manyhardships,you may consider the day worthless and your labor unprofitable, unlessyou have gained many victories over your passions and your own will,unlessyou have gratefully acknowledged the benefits received from God,particularlyHis death on the Cross, unless you have accepted as blessings whateverchastisements the Father of infinite mercy has inflicted as anexpiationfor your many sins.

2 Sloths Fighting Animals

2 Sloths Fighting

As of publishing, it will have been 14 days since I received the fateful call from UHS. It was time to start my quarantine.

Quarantine has been a mixed bag. I’ll be honest, the first few days were almost nice. I’m an introvert, and so it was quite relaxing to be alone. I was also pretty productive the first couple of days; however, as time slipped by, I started to fall into some of my bad habits. Easy access to a comfy bed, little external structure to my day, and an absence of anyone else to encourage me to work all exacerbated my tendencies to laziness. Now, I managed to still get all my necessary homework done, but I definitely wasn’t making the best use of all this free time I had been given. More dangerous than simple laziness, I began to fall into spiritual sloth.

The distinction between laziness and sloth is often missed, but I think it’s a helpful one. Sloth is an indifference or a sorrow towards spiritual goods. There are a few ways sloth can manifest, but in my case, it took on a neglect of prayer and a lack of zeal for cultivating my spiritual life—and I certainly didn’t have the excuse that I was too busy!

Once I was able to take stock of the situation I was in, I poked around for some advice and suggestions for dealing with sloth. I’d like to share something I found.

One of the best antidotes to both sloth and laziness is structure. Quarantine is perhaps the most extreme case of unstructured free time, but, to some extent, we have that in our normal lives already. More important than just structuring one’s free time is structuring one’s prayer life. I’ve found that it’s so much easier to be sluggish in prayer, and so much easier to put it off, when I don’t have a concrete plan. Setting out expectations for yourself at the beginning of the day or the night before is a good plan for both work and prayer. It gives you something to aim at and forces you to think about what’s really practical. Another reason I often fall into sloth is that I set such high expectations for myself. Once I realize I won’t live up to them, I end up throwing away the progress that was actually possible.

In addition to a plan, starting your day with prayer is another good idea. A wise priest I know is fond of saying, “Morning prayer requires you to think about it before you go to bed.” While it takes a bit of planning to set aside time for serious time in prayer or to get to morning Mass, the little morning routines can also be a way to fend off sloth. Making prayer the absolutely first thing you do in the morning is a great way to order the rest of your day towards God. I usually mumble the Breastplate of St. Patrick as I roll out of bed and get ready in the morning.

2 Sloths Fighting Pictures

Another thing I’ve found fruitful in fending off sloth is to cultivate habits and stick to them. In addition to the danger of trying to overdo it in prayer, there’s also the temptation for excessive novelty. Hopping around between different methods of prayer might seem like a way to keep engaged in prayer, but I’ve found that it actually just keeps me from being able to deeply enter into any one method of prayer. Whenever I need a reset because I’ve fallen away from prayer or I tried to do too many things, I go back to the basics: Daily Mass and the Rosary.

Sloth is often a temptation, especially in these odd times with online classes and few in-person events, but there’s nothing a little grace and prayer can’t fix.

2 Sloths Fighting Toys

• Fr. Tran Shares Family Story of Refugees and Faith - November 26, 2020
• Fighting off Sloth - November 26, 2020
• For All the Saints - October 29, 2020