Is it that bodybuilding attracts only incredibly stupid people who have this crazy mentality regarding steroids etc. that if a little bit is good more is bound to be better? ....That they can stick all kinds of shit into their bodies without doing considerable damage over the course of time? Is the hope of success and fame so great that it causes folks to lose all touch with reality? How many of these bodybuilders have to suffer kidney and/or heart failure before it becomes obvious that the risks verses the longshot of winning a pro contest and all too briefly possibly enjoying some of the fruits of their enormous sacrifice just isn't worth it?
I have my own analogy since I am an avid Corvette fan. I am currently on my 5th Vette. My first was a C5 1997 FRC, and then a 2000 Convertible, then a 2001 Z06, then a C4 (backwards but beautiful) and then a 2002 Z06 and now working towards a 2006 C6 Z06.
You want faster. And faster. And faster. Bigger is better and faster becomes fastest.. and then you need more speed. You hook up at the track. You break something. You strengthen and ad a shot, and you get even faster. It's an addiction.
It's like my female clients. Granted, in the beginning, they just wanna, you know "fit and tone" bullshit. They have no clue. I don't have them do cardio, I beat the fuck outta them with weights. They always say in the beginning "I don't want to look like Arnold!" - like it just kind of 'happens" from lifting a weight. Hilarious, but the one thing I've noticed over the years is this: The more "cut" they become, or "defined" or "toned", the more they want. The less fat they have, the more they want to lose.
Pretty soon they are looking about as buffed as a natural muscular female can look.... and then they ask the question: "How do I get to the next level?"
It's gotta be a part of human psychology. The more you get, the more you want. They don't start out that way, its a progressive.... let's use gh15's word: "mutation" process.
and then of course, as the saying goes: "Bigger is better" in oh so many ways.
The pursuit of happiness. The enjoyment of the hunt. Who knows?