Page 121 - Ray Dalio - Principles

along that knowledge to others—“returning the boon” as
Campbell called it. Once the boon is returned, the hero is free
to live and then free to die, or, as I see it, to transition from the

second phase in life to the third phase (in which one is free to
savor life until one passes away).

Reading Campbell, I saw that heroes, like shapers, come in
varying sizes—there are big ones and small ones—that they
are real people, and that we all know some. I also saw that
being a hero is typically not all it’s cracked up to be—they get
beat up a lot, and many are attacked, humiliated, or killed even

after they triumph. In fact, it’s hard to see the logic for
choosing this hero role, if one were to choose. But I could see
and relate to how a certain type of person would start and stay
on that path.

While Campbell’s description of the hero’s journey
captured the essence of my own journey through life and the
journeys of many of the people I call shapers, “hero” is not a

word that I would use to describe myself and I certainly would
not put my own accomplishments on the level of the heroes
Campbell wrote about. But learning about the hero’s journey
10
did help me crystallize my understanding of where I was in my
own journey, and what I should do next. The section on
returning the boon spoke to me in a personal way, as though
Campbell knew exactly what I was wrestling with. With the

reflections it prompted, I could see that my life would be over
in a relatively short time and that what I’d leave behind could
be more important, last longer, and affect many more people
than just those at Bridgewater and my family. That helped
make clear that I needed to pass along the things I had that

could help others beyond me, most importantly the principles
in this book, but also my money.

As the saying goes, “You can’t take it with you.” My need
to start thinking about who should get what wasn’t just
because of my age and the time it would take to do it well; it
was also instinctive. Over time, the circle of people and things
I cared about had broadened from just me when I was young,

to me and my family when I became a parent, to my
community when I was a bit more mature, to people beyond
my community and the whole environment now.