"Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols"

Thomas Mann, in this quote, reflects on the abstract and constant nature of time, highlighting the human propensity to compartmentalize it into sections like months, years, and centuries. The expression "Time has no divisions to mark its passage" suggests that time, in its purest form, is an undisturbed circulation. Unlike physical phenomena that have clear borders and signals, time progresses silently and invisibly. Mann mentions that natural procedures do not inherently included the markers we connect with them, such as the "thunder-storm or blare of trumpets" many may expect to underscore substantial shifts. This imagery underscores the absence of any dramatic or concrete modification in the nature of time itself.

Mann proceeds to state, "Even when a new century starts it is only we mortals who sound bells and fire off pistols", which captures the essence of the human compulsion to impose structure and significance on the passage of time. These activities-- sounding bells, firing pistols-- are human innovations, symbolic acts that try to understand the intangible flow of time. It highlights humankind's desire to commemorate, to offer weight, and to perform rituals that commemorate the passage of time. While nature advances its infinite course, indifferent to human issues, people grasp onto these signifiers to bring order and suggesting to their lives.

This desire to demarcate time may stem from humankind's intrinsic need for a sense of control and understanding in a world that is typically unpredictable and vast. It creates a structure for organizing experiences and communicates development, connection, and stability. In essence, Mann's reflection recommends both the arbitrariness and requirement of these human-created periods, facilitating our understanding while underscoring our essential separation from the natural world's indifference to the constructs we so closely associate with.