We watched the new Netflix documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger. The three episodes cover his early life and bodybuilding, the Hollywood years, and finally his California political career.
I've never been a fan of body-building much less violent movies, but the documentary was interesting. He's a real force of nature, physically and mentally, but also charismatic with a sharp sense of humor. At age 75, he's now seen as an elder statesman.
Arnold was born in Austria right after WWII. He had an old-school, Germanic upbringing. Praise was given sparingly, if at all, and siblings were shamed and compared to each other. Punishment was harsh. This was pretty typical for the time and culture, but Arnold's father was damaged after the war, which came out in alcoholism and cruel ways. Arnold attributes his drive and success in life to the overwhelming desire to get away from his family.
I could relate to some of the cultural stuff, especially when he talks about the importance of doing something, anything, instead of acting like a victim. Maybe we had a "Germanic lite" upbringing, because "go make yourself useful" was frequent advice in our house.
Anyway. Enough of that. The tulips are at their peak this week. The windows are clean and John mowed yesterday. Everything looks beautiful under the soft, grey sky.
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