Skip to content
91.3 KBCS (KBCS Logo)
Now Playing
Menu
Please enable your javascript to have a better view of the website. Learn about activating javascript here.
single.php

Thinking Out Loud: The Tip of the Iceberg

October 30, 2026 - 7:00 am

Smiling man in a home recording studio sits beside a microphone and pop filter, creating a warm, friendly podcasting scene. Kevin P. Henry

By Kevin P. Henry for Thinking Out Loud

I work as a consultant and trainer in the mental health field, and I was thinking the other day about the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

This reminded me that we are all like icebergs. In our daily lives people only see a small part of the iceberg that is visible—just a small part of who we are.

So you may think the police officer who pulled you over for speeding is cold and gruff. You may think that a paramedic trying to help a severely injured person seems distant and robotic. You may think that a member of the waitstaff at a restaurant isn’t very warm or personable.

The truth is, we don’t know what is happening in their lives, or in the case of first responders, what immense tragedies they have had to witness during their careers.

But these professionals are expected to remain composed and even affable while working, even when dealing with some of the most heartbreaking moments imaginable.

I know a 30-year-old EMT and firefighter who regularly sees a therapist to process what she experiences on the job. She encounters people at the worst moments of their lives. This includes seeing the deaths of adults and children.

Ironically, many people who choose careers in medicine, law enforcement, emergency services, and even social work do this because they do care deeply about people. But too often, they are expected to perform while finding some kind of happy medium between being disciplined and not letting their emotions prevent them from doing their jobs.

Sometimes they even face verbal abuse and hostility from the very people they are trying to help. Of course, this doesn’t excuse unprofessional, racist, sexist, or other kinds of inappropriate behavior. It simply reminds us that before judging someone based on a single interaction, just remember, there may be a bigger story we know nothing about.

Sometimes the people who spend their lives helping others need a little compassion themselves.