I watched some preliminary heats at the men’s swimming world championships recently, and marveled at how close the finishers could be. Laszlo Cseh of Hungary completed the 100-meter butterfly in 50.91 seconds. Tom Shields of the US took second by finishing in 51.09. Less than a second!
It’s not unusual in some sports (track and field, skiing), but consider the fraction of time involved.
What can happen in a second?
A slap. A punch. A kick. A curse.
A devastating bolt of lightning.
A smile. A touch. A kind thought.
Six babies are born.
Yes, fascinating idea that such a small unit of time can make such a difference: for the swimmer’s career or the unfortunate person in the lightning’s path. As for those 6 babies – wow – in the time I’ve taken to type this, that’s about 240 more people in the world!
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And thousands more!
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Indeed it can – for good, and for not. xxx
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Your life can change in less than a second, for sure. Love thinking about stuff like this. It’s what books are made of.
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