A sculpture from the Rodin museum in Paris, #France, remains nestled in my picture section of my phone. It was taken on a trip there with girlfriends, just a year or so ago.

As I look at it again now, I marvel at the beauty of our external human body. It is so resilient; so tough.

But I also think about its inside.

We don’t ever see while lies on the inside. Only the outside.

It reminds me of my real life human interactions. And online outward appearances.

People look like they have it all put together, but often times, on the inside, lies a mess. The chiseled perfection on the outside does not, in fact, accurately portray the chaos inside.

I know this to be true because I worked with people, and closely that. When I was seeing patients in my office, I encountered many beautiful souls who, on the outside, reflected Rodin-sculpture equivalents, while on the inside, were in need of help.

We see it again and again in the news too – with celebrities struggling to stay afloat. We wonder, “Why would they do that?” because we forget that they’re human, too.

I was lucky to have been there to share in so many journeys, and consider it one of the most amazing privileges of being a doctor.

I still keep that in mind as I move forward in life today, even if I’m active online more than off.

I remind myself to give people a chance. To give them the benefit of the doubt. And to never ‘judge their book’ by the cover.