copied from a reddit post i just authored
Okay so I saw this youtube vid a while ago, that explained how you could change your eye color, by altering your DNA, by really concentrating. I'm sure there will be mixed reactions; some might be like "YEAH! YOU TOTALLY CAN!" Others, "No that's impossible and dumb," and everyone in-between.
Some people claim you can change your eye color by focusing on it, wanting to. Some people claim this is impossible.
Some people claim that one can move objects with their mind. Some people claim this is impossible.
Some members of our species claim to be able to feel their own brain.
Some people report feeling tingles up and down their spine.
I heard a yogi was once documented in stopping his own heart.
I've heard that there are some people who can flex the tiniest muscle in their back, by itself.
Some people claim to see a lot more colors than the average person. Some people claim this is not the case. Others are starting to investigate the possibility that this claim holds merit.
Some people claim to see fewer colors than others. There has been a decent amount of research into this area. The consensus is it is a thing, and recent technology has provided "relief" for this condition.
Some people claim to be able to astroproject. Some people claim this is all only in the mind. Some people claim differently.
Some people claim to be able to spontaneously produce goosebumps (piloerection). This has been documented.
Some people claim to be able to calm themselves down. This is documented.
I've heard that some members of our species have expired due to spontaneous combustion
Some members of our species claim to be able to induce orgasm by thinking about it, wanting to. This is documented.
I heard that one member of our species was deaf, but was a musical genius. There's probably more than one.
--Some members of our species think, or are able to think in a similar fashion to the author of this thread, and can appreciate the thought process that is being used for this topic, human capabilities.--
I heard that one member of our species recited pi up to "67,890 digits in 24 hours and 7 minutes in 2005." Shit's documented, and shit's crazy.
I heard that one member of our species can learn a language in about a week. Same member of our species is a math savant, and experiences synesthesia.
I heard that some people can experience synesthesia. There is more than one form and type of it too!
I saw a documentary where-in-which a member of our species did not record any numbers in its cellphone, because it was unnecessary; this creature had memorized all of the phone numbers.
I saw this one guy on T.V. that could spell words backward, very quickly, easily.
I heard that some members of our species, perhaps as much as a thousand years ago, probably more, had competitions testing memory, developed methods to remember things more easily. If I am not mistaken, the method of Loci may have come from that era (also known as a memory palace).
Some people claim to be lucid in their sleep.
Some members of our species claim to be able to recite a song after only hearing it once. This is documented with a piano player, musical savant.
Some members of our species do not appear to have the cognitive capabilities of others (a normal, or average is assumed). Some of members of this subcategory have trouble functioning in a day-to-day life setting, and/or have trouble performing tasks that would be required in a "normal" life. (Normal is subject to cultural, and/or religious bias; in this case it is meant as the way an "average" citizen of my home country, the U.S.A., is viewed/constructed: a tax paying, self-sufficient individual.") It is widely accepted that the best, most compassionate thing to do for these individuals is to look out for them. Some members of our species disagree.
Some members of our species appear to have tremendous cognitive capabilities (a normal or average is assumed). Most of us look up to these people for leadership, inventions, entertainment, genius. If you note any similarity at all between this section and the previous section, well... Well. I hope that some of these creatures with superior cognitive skills are benevolent, for the sake of the rest of us. Someday this may include AI. This is in the works.
(*) I believe these can greatly assist in certain cognitive capabilities. Some members of our species appear to be highly capable in social situations. Others are not.
Some members of our species claim to be very attuned to the feelings of other people. This is likely documented. Haven't bothered checking, didn't feel the need to.
I heard there was a person who was able to read two pages at the same time, one with each eye.
Some members of our species claim to be able to imagine,
Some members of our species claim to be able to contemplate with more than one internal monologue, a subset of these can do multiple inner monologues simultaneously (for some members of our species this appears to be very detrimental to their capabilities).
I heard that some people can experience synesthesia. There is more than one form and type of it too!
Some members of our species claim to be able to imagine (see in their mind) three dimensional objects, and rotate them. others still can add on and take off things to the imagined object, or otherwise alter it.
I heard some members of our species are able to remember up to a 97% detail about the occurrences of their life. Something like that. Feel free to look it up, correct me in comments if necessary, I'll update.
Some members of our species claim to have elaborate revelations in their dreams.
Some members of our species claim to be able to imagine vivid imagery, and later produce it in a drawing or a painting.
Some people claim to be able to produce music with their imagination (hear and construct a pattern of sounds with a melody).
Some people claim to be able to reproduce smells or tastes via this same mechanism of imagination (meant as mental phenomena produced unrelated to current physical environment)/memory/recall.
Some people claim to be able to reproduce the feelings of physical touch via imagination/memory/recall.
Some people claim to be able to remember long passages, verbatim. This is documented.
I claim to be a member of our species with a knack for analyzing the thought process of other members of our species that I come into contact with.
(*) I believe these greatly assist in cognitive capability.
I heard this one guy ran a 100 meter dash at 27.8 MPH, setting a world record.
I heard some people are born with both male and female genitalia. I heard some people are born with ambiguous genitalia.
As I understand it, some members of our species are born with one sex assigned at birth, but do not feel that they are truly that sex, thus originated the difference between sex and gender identity. As it appears, both sex identified at birth, and gender identity are a spectrum, as one might expect of a biological entity.
It seems that some people are heterosexual, whereas others might be homosexual, polysexual, pansexual, demisexual, asexual, and many other different documented types of sexualities, as well as undocumented.
It seems that some people are born without the ability to see, others hear, others walk under their own power, others still are born without limbs.
Some members of our species are born at or around the same time from their parent. A subset of these members have identical DNA. Some are also born conjoined.
I've noticed some people smell good. Others, not so much for me. :) a little humor as a break in this great text wall.
Some people seem to like to talk about anything. Others are more selective.
Some people appear have preferences for musical genres. Others have different ones.
I know some members of our species like to eat or otherwise imbibe psychoactive substances, for the purpose of changing their thinking or capabilities. A subset of these individuals have positive experiences, others negative. Some substances are more dangerous than others, in terms of health effects, mental and physical. Some members of our species may experience side affects or other negative attributes that others do not.
Members of our species appear to be all over the world. Thanks to modern technology, you can communicate with many of them.
Some people claim to be shamen, or otherwise imbued with spiritual power, knowledge, or capabilities. Some people claim they are not.
Some very clever members of our species have, in the past, created impressive lines of thought, perceptual cues, and other thought technology, that are followed, and/or employed by many members of our species today.
These are just some observed, talked about, documented, theorized human traits, qualities, and capabilities that I thought would be interesting to explore for this given topic. The topic is human capabilities, traits, as from a perspective of people as people (social), and an attempt at a more objective perspective (philosophical, scientific). It is up to the reader to investigate each topic, fact-check and reify as necessary. The point of the exercise is to entice the reader to perform the line of thinking that the author claims to be capable of, and claims is worthwhile; viewing human trains in this manner (possibilities that have occurred in the past) provides the thinker with a new, hopefully useful way of viewing the fellow members of their species.
I think that some types of thought patterns, thought-technology are limited in their usage in any given different area of thought. If humans are often seen in a binary-driven perspective, man or woman, rich or poor, friend or foe, these heuristics will prevent the thinker from seeing any nuances between the categories- the so-called, "grey area" between black and white. However, stopping at grey, when the color spectrum is so grand, one begins to explore free of this way of thinking. From there I claim there are many other ways of approaching a given situation, each with their own results. Find what works for you, continue to produce thought in the way that best fits your mind. For some situations, black and white, for others, feels bad but needs doing, red and purple apple sauce in December, "Oh yeah, I remember that because my aunt told me it when I was 9," by combining è±èȘăšæ„æŹèȘ different languages in the same line of thinking in order to approach a situation from the perspective of another culture. Anything way you can think, act, behave, that produces your desired result is deemed "beneficial." However, make sure that this thought process, act, behavior, is the thing contributing to the benefit, and contains as little error and/or detriment as possible. Grow on, do great things.
-signed, a guy who seriously forgot how to spell "testicle," while he thought he was making a genitalia joke into something clever. Edited as little as possible, written via stream of conscious, after making the conscious decision to write some of my thoughts down.