When all we care about is the final product, we miss the entire internal arc, the struggle, the bruised ego, and the chance of failure, and the reward in feelin

When all we care about is the final product, we miss the entire internal arc, the struggle, the bruised ego, and the chance of failure, and the reward in feeling "holy shit, I did it!" that comprises the essence of being human. Reducing the human experience as a means to an end is the core idea of dehumanization. Kant addressed this in the "humanity formula of the categorical imperative: "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end, never merely as a means." I'm curious how you feel about the phrase "the real treasure was the friends we made along the way." What does it mean to you?