I don't read print books very often but started reading Ray Dalio "Principles: Life and Work" lately - mostly because one of the reviews said that it was a "masterclass in waiting" - which I find myself doing a lot lately. I've been lucky enough to have done reasonable well in crypto (having been in it since 2013) but it was a big change for me because it made me question the notion of "hard work" - back when I was grinding away at various jobs at work I was going broke, whereas in my investments, the more money seemed to come in the less I was "trying".
Having grew up with an emphasis on having a strong work ethic, it was kind of a trip for me, to say the least.
Dalio's ideas seem more relevant now than ever, which might be part of the reason why he's been much more public in the last few months as the US economy starts to show signs of tipping over. He's been big advocate for the idea of "radical truth and radical transparency" - in Web3, that philosophy is most exemplified in Tezos, particularly in TEIA, where everything that happens here is etched directly into the blockchain, with a community that actually respects that as a value.
(While other chains leaders have been openly saying that "people don't care about decentralization", Tezos has been quietly reinforcing the layers of accountability that make on-chain governance actually work.)
Having largely turned into a memecoin casino over the last few years, it's pretty easy to lose faith in NFTs as an art form and crypto as a whole, especially as we hear news of platforms and startups closing one by one. But the truth is also that people like him and Warren Buffett are literally sitting on billions in cash right now - waiting for the right moment to come back in. If we're to survive as a project - a community - we have to learn to appeal to serious people like him and dismiss the rest.
(For the musicians here on Tezos, it should also be known that Dalio is a big fan of jazz and talks about improvisation regularly in his talks - something we have in abundance here, too.)
I've been saying this for years but I feel like Tezos is only halfway there: the work is being done, but the way it's annouced still seems soft and insecure. As a whole, the community seems to be afraid of ruffling people's feathers about being one of the few (if not only) crypto project doing things the "right way". There's been so many grifts and scams in the industry at this point that some screaming will be required just to cut through the noise - or we risk going down with the ship as a whole.
If there's any time to speak truth to power and show people how it's done, the time is now. If you're in a position where you cannot be bothered, at least consider supporting those who can, which thankfully, there are still many - at least for now. (Hint: Art may have something to do with it.)
Anyway, if I find any unique insights in this book I'll let people know. But one thing I do know is that if your dedication is half-assed, failure is pretty much a guaranteed outcome. In contrarianism, there is no in-between, no compromises here. It's either something you do or you don't. You have to have conviction or you won't make it out alive. 🔀