Is there anything more plausible than a second hand? And yet it takes only the smallest pleasure or pain to teach us time's malleability. Some emotions speed it up, others slow it down; occasionally, it seems to go missing--until the eventual point when it really does go missing, never to return.

Summary

This quote highlights the paradox of time's perceived nature. The notion of something as reliable as a second hand on a clock seems unquestionable, yet our experiences of pleasure and pain can distort our perception of time. Certain intense emotions can make time fly or crawl, leading to the belief that time is flexible. At times, it may appear as if time is missing, until the final realization that it has truly elapsed and will never come back. Ultimately, the quote suggests that our emotions can influence and warp our understanding of time's passing.

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