It was an iceberg, a beautiful creation of nature, that was the demise of the grand Titanic. Hundreds of lives lost. Thousands of family members and friends devastated. All because those that were keeping watch couldn’t see what was lying underneath.
You see, icebergs are tricky things. What you see on the surface is not what lies underneath. An iceberg floats on the top of the water, but the ice that is under the surface can go quite deep, and there is no knowing how large it really is.
And, so it is with people, I believe. We are all, in effect, icebergs.
We have this persona, this personhood or being or illusion that we carry on the surface, that can be seen by any ship, passing in the night or in broad daylight. It is all that we are willing to show at first glance, that ice that is on the top of the water, the one that we think is all there is to the story.
But, oh, there is so much more……………
Just like an iceberg, we all store so much that is under the surface, under the facade, under what is immediately apparent to those around us. We keep it underneath, just in case, just in the event that we feel ready and able to expose it to the sunlight. Or, if we decide to keep it in the depths of the dark ocean.
However, we can take a risk. We can let others know what there is underneath the surface. Or, we will encounter in our lives those rare souls that have their own sonar, so they can see beyond the surface whether we want to disclose what is below the surface or not.
What really counts, what really matters most in this world, in my opinion, is what is within the depths of us, so many may not always see it, or if they do, recognize its greatness. The depths of our soul is our true self, not what floats on the surface.
What we float to the surface is what keeps us going, what keeps us surviving, but it is not what keeps us ALIVE. What keeps us truly alive is our heart, our soul, our dreams, our most intense wants and desires, that which we hope to achieve to be fulfilled.
So, just like an iceberg, we need to remember that there is always something more to ourselves, and others, than we show on the surface. It is deep, it is rich, and it is always worthwhile.
