Care to elaborate on the 'path dependency' part? What quantity isn't conserved here? (honest question)
If you’re unlevered and have a long time horizon, volatility essentially doesn’t matter. All that matters in the long term is the annual rate of return.
If you’re levered, however, a sufficiently volatile underlying will cause you to get liquidated which sets your return to zero.
I could see that as a form of path dependency. Past decisions about our economic framework end up having an outsized effect on today's policy.