About 25 years ago, I was in final year or two of the Air Force and had this one single airman that I supervised. The kid (then 22) was consumed for weight-lifting, fitness, nutrition, and looking 'buff'.
In an average week, he was probably putting twenty hours into this 'hobby. After work, there was a 90-minute work-out Monday through Friday. Saturdays were mostly reserved for bike-riding, hiking, and swimming.
This was around when the pictures of Russia's Putin in the wild came up.....showing him as 'buff' (obviously he was lifting some weights and spending a fair amount of time on fitness).
So one day.....the airman and I got into this discussion....how you'd keep looking 'buff' when you advanced into your 40s and 50s. He'd spent a lot of time discussing this topic with older guys. Most admitted they were using caffeine and energy drinks to keep their level of energy high enough, and were barely cutting back on hours at the gym. So I asked about the 60s.
Well....one or two of the older guys admitted that they'd started on steroids in their fifties....and were still doing it as they advanced toward late 60s.
The topic of 'roid-rage' came up. Definition? Behavior typically changes, with our attitude more aggressive. Verbal aggression and violent threats are typical once you've dosed up to that level. As he noted....a couple of wrestlers had started show problems and were violent toward their friends and wives.
Over the past week, that conversation has lingered in my mind.
So I've lingered over this crazy idea that what you see on TV with Putin and his chatter....is what you'd get with a 69-year-old guy, who was dosing up on steroids for his fitness image.
Does he recognize it? I doubt it, and those in the inner circle probably have watched him escalate and not grasped what this attitude relates to.
This whole Ukraine thing.....leading back to roid-rage? Yeah, that's my suggestion. If true? You probably need to push your worry up a notch....that he might get a wild idea over something, and just imagine an illusion.
1 comment:
"As he noted....a couple of wrestlers had started show problems and were violent toward their friends and wives."
I think that's got more to do with the repetitive brain traumas that they suffer in the sport. Given the amount of olympic athletes that indulge (check out the documentary Icarus), and the lack of body count I think it's pretty harmless.
I think it's more a symptom of someone who's always frightened and insecure. They need to keep the dosage high to feel in control.
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