The Parts of Us We Don’t Show

A few weeks ago, I was lying in bed doing what many of us do—mindlessly scrolling through Instagram before sleep—when one of those “try yours” prompts popped up.

You know the ones.

This one invited you to upload a photo and let AI generate a caricature of you based on everything it “knows” about you.

Curious, I gave it a go.

After a couple of refinements (!?), the image you see here was the result. And honestly… I didn’t think it was too bad. However, as devilishly handsome as I appear in the caricature, it got me thinking.

Because the truth is—AI only knows what I’ve shown it.

And in many ways, that’s no different to how we show up in the world.

There’s so much it doesn’t see. The complexity. The emotions. The relationships.

The quiet struggles that never make it into an Instagram or Facebook post.

Social media, in particular, gives a carefully curated version of our lives… Filtered. Framed. Selected.

A version that shows something true—but not the whole truth.

If you were to scroll through my Instagram account, you’d see someone smiling, surrounded by great people, seemingly always travelling and enjoying life.

And yes—that’s real, for the most part.

But so too are the parts you don’t see.

Over the past couple of years, alongside those recorded moments, I’ve experienced the loss of dear friends, big changes, periods of anxiety, as well as times of loneliness and isolation.

Like most people, those are the parts I’ve kept to myself.

And maybe that’s what’s been sitting with me.

What would happen if we allowed a little more of our humanity to be seen?

Not everything. Not all at once. But just enough to remind each other that we’re not alone in what we carry.

Because behind every curated life… is a real one. 🤍