Commodifying
Commodifying the self never pays off. When we optimize every interaction with other people through strict agendas and goal-setting, we effectively limit growth opportunities. Growth only comes through people.
An imaginary person, locked in a room full of books, would only accumulate book knowledge, adding more facts to their intellectual faculty. Still, without people, that person will have no place to see meaning; meaning exists in open-ended, complex (surprising) moments.
The circularity is apparent; if we don’t give others an open minute, we mostly don’t give ourselves that space of curiosity. The worst thing to do with a complex, rich tapestry is to try to fit it into artificial goals and ignore all it may reveal or help develop.