Not to sound flip or like Kolya, but if you're not going to talk about the paranormal or the supernatural, then the limits is the same as the limits of physics. To truly push the limits, so to speak, I think you have to follow the "water bends the oak" proverb. Like the eastern body hardening exercises or far less exotic or painful: going to the gym.

I do not think it is so much that we do not mature properly as much as it is we mature differently. Our genetic make up is similar, yes, but we are still not chimpanzees and chimpanzees are still not humans. For instance, human jaws lack certain proteins found in the jaws of other primates that explain why our jaws are weak and the others are more powerful. There are biomechanical differences, too. A chimp has a lot of his mass in his shoulders, back, and arms which helps him climb and tear apart monkeys (but the magnitude of chimp strength is an overstatement resulting from poor science many, many years ago). His arms remind of our legs, which are more power than our arms generally speaking (and I'm a perfect example of that).

The body is but one part of the whole.
The mind is but one part of the whole.
The spirit is but one part of the whole.

Each of these parts alone is easily tested to it's breaking point.
Each of these parts alone is weak.

The spirit without the body has no form.
The spirit without the mind has no focus.

The mind without the body has no strength.
The mind without the spirit has no insight.

The body without the mind has no intelligence.
The body without the spirit has no life.

When Body, Mind and Spirit all strive for one goal, each drives the others beyond their "limits", allowing one to perform feats that most would consider "impossible" - for a price.

When Body, Mind, and Spirit become one, they are no longer human, but divine. This is the buddha within each of us, waiting patiently for us to awaken to our true nature.

Well, I think it's time I shook off the dust and cobwebs, and started tentatively poking my head out.

I find it interesting that this is the top thread in the Philosophy Corner, which was always my favorite topic here, anyway... I've been going through some very major changes in recent months. They've been affecting me more than I ever imagined. It's given me a lot of unique and interesting perspectives on a lot of things.

If anyone's curious, you can ask, but it's a bit too personal to just blurt out in public, especially since I died some years ago.

Oh, yeah. I'm not dead, by the way. Probably should've said that, first.

Hannah, good to see you again. Your dad still running and gunning?

Have I missed much while I've been out of it?

I will be eagerly awaiting the update...

Welcome back, my friend, you have been missed.

I believe we are long overdue for afternoon tea.

Master Li, it's good to see you, again. If you send me a private message, we'll try to get together for that tea, sometime...

Apparently, she gets very good reception with her satellite phone. Normally, in my (limited) experience, those phones have really bad phone lag...so I rather suspect there's supernatural cheating involved. ;3

Daichan wrote:There are limits to what the human body can accomplish. Even with help (cheating as Darcy puts it).

This is very true. However, the limits tend to be much, much higher than anyone realizes. We limit ourselves subconsciously to prevent ourselves from tearing ourselves apart. With some special training (or cheating, too), one can overcome these limits for short times, extending the body's potential almost exponentially. The few times I've done it, I've also noticed a massive increase in my personal energy, which in those moments, I needed...but when I came down from the heavy adrenaline rush, I paid for it.