Who doesn’t secretly want a superpower? Imagine having some unique ability which nobody else can perform or do as astoundingly well as you, just like all the superheroes in the films. Well, you will be pleased to know that superhuman powers are not just for characters out of graphic novels and comics.
It would seem such powers are not as impossible as we might think.
#1 Bruce Lee – Speed and Co-ordination
“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of” – Bruce Lee
The incredible feats of the late charismatic film star, Kung Fu master and philosopher Bruce Lee are legendary. As a martial artist his abilities are still to this day unrivalled; sorry Chuck Norris!
Although his lean muscular physique was extraordinary, he was still a relatively small man, standing a mere 5 feet 8 inches high and weighing only about 165 pounds. Yet despite this, he was somehow able to channel ferocious strength and power far exceeding his or any of his opponents’ size.
It wasn’t just about one finger push-ups either; he was also lightning fast with superhuman speed and co-ordination. Incidentally, it wasn’t just martial arts where he used his unique powers to beat people; he was also a champion Cha Cha dancer.
#2 Stephen Wiltshire MBE – Amazing Memory Artist
“My life in seven words… keep doing what I do best, drawing” – Stephen Wiltshire
If you have ever seen the Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman film ‘Rain Man’ you may be familiar with the extremely rare phenomena of ‘Autistic Savants’. Well, Stephen Wiltshire is one of these truly gifted individuals.
His amazing talent gives him the ability to draw perfectly accurate and visually stunning cityscapes from memory. In one instance, following a short helicopter flight in Hong Kong, he was able to draw a perfect 10 meter long drawing of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor.
Although he didn’t learn to fully speak until aged 9, fittingly the first words he ever spoke were “paper and pencil.” Plus, his gifts are not limited to just fabulous drawings; he is also an extraordinary musician with perfect pitch who can recall complete works of opera from memory…
#3 Uri Geller – Mind over Matter / Mind Power
“I was about five years old when I was eating soup in our kitchen, and as I was lifting the spoon towards my mouth, it bent and broke in half” – Uri Geller
This enigmatic, and admittedly controversial showman, doesn’t just bend spoons and keys. It would seem he has other real life superhuman psychic skills.
Apparently, they came about as a small child when he saw a mysterious UFO object near his family home in Tel Aviv, and have stayed with him ever since. Not only can he perform ‘remote viewing’, but he can also fix broken objects such as watches and even make plant seeds spontaneously sprout at his command.
Interestingly these incredible skills have led him down many strange and intriguing paths including soldier, secret agent, and treasure hunter. Many have tried to debunk him, but to date no one has succeeded. So until they do I’ll leave it up to you to make up your own mind about the nature of his powers and what really makes this superhuman ‘tick’.
#4 Natalie Molchanova – Aqua girl
“…to slip beneath the surface and soar along the silent bottom of the sea agile and shining in water honeycombed with light.” – Ellen Meloy
If lucky, most normal healthy people can hold their breath and swim under water for a minute or two at most. But not Natalie Molchanova – the 22 times world champion Russian Free Diver. Not only can she stay under water for over 8 minutes she can also swim to depths of over 330 feet on a single breath, slow down her heartbeat and cool her core temperature.
Incredibly, she can dive just as deep as typical scuba diver, but of course enjoys much more freedom, much less heavy equipment, and a lot less noisy bubbles!
Basically this woman is part human, part mermaid but, and in my opinion; 100% superwoman.
#5 Derren Brown – Jedi Powers
Luke Skywaker : “I can’t believe it”
Yoda : “That is why you fail.”
Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back
If you think that the ‘Force’ is just a made up magic power for the light sabre welding Jedi knights in the Star Wars franchise, then you might just want to think again.
Derren Brown is an English mentalist and mind control expert who displays skills remarkably similar to the on screen mystical Jedi knights. Not only can he apparently read minds, hypnotize people from a distance, and perform impossible memory feats but he is also a master illusionist, escape artist and magician.
He is so confident in his abilities, he has even played Russian roulette live on television.
The ‘Force’ certainly seems to be with him. I just wonder what he would be like with a light sabre.
#6 Nina Kulagina – Soviet Psychokinesis
Back in the 1960’s some very strange Soviet film footage found its way into the West showing a middle aged woman apparently moving solid objects with just the power of her mind.
Now, obviously this was at the height of the cold war, so a degree of healthy skepticism needs to be maintained. But putting that aside, the footage seems genuine and it is attributed to being performed under laboratory controlled conditions.
Nina Kulagina apparently realized her psychic skills when she found objects would move around her when she was angry. She learnt to control this ability through meditation and discovered she was not just capable of moving inanimate objects, but live ones too.
I have no idea if she was the real thing, and perhaps we will never know for sure as she passed away over 20 years ago.
But one thing is for certain I wouldn’t have risked getting her angry!
#7 Wim Hof – The Iceman Cometh!
“I just ran a full marathon in the desert without drinking water. The entire time, my core temperature remained the same. The cold is a temperature; heat as well, so I have complete control of both.” – Wim Hof
Can you imagine running a marathon in a freezing cold Arctic winter or climbing Mount Everest or Kilimanjaro?
Me neither; but Wim Hof has done all three and what’s more – in just a T-shirt, shorts, and sandals! Impossible? Not for Wim Hof, it would seem he has mastered how to control his body’s ability to heat itself from within and become completely impervious to temperatures that would literally kill a normal person in minutes.
Oh and for fun he also swims in icy seas, sits in tubs of ice cubes (up to his neck), and has set 20 world records. Makes me shiver just thinking about him!
So there you have it, 7 examples of normal human beings with seemingly superhuman powers.
I truly believe we are all exceptional in our own way and we all have un-tapped powers and unique gifts and skills. The difficulty can be recognizing what they are and nurturing them correctly.
So, good luck in discovering your unique super powers; just don’t forget your costume!
Cover photo: www.tumblr.com
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