When a volume of ice floats in the sea, we observe it from the surface of the sea. The tip or top is visible. And while an ice berg tip may be massive and impressive, ‘it’s only the tip of the iceberg’. This is shorthand for ‘you think that’s big, but the part beneath the sea is much more massive and is hidden from view’.
Calling something the tip of the iceberg should make you think that we are only able to see a small portion of something. This thing is much larger than we think or see. In life there are many tips. There is much more hidden from us than is readily observable. There is much more we don’t know than what do know. Paying attention to the tips is a good practice and can keep us safe.