{"id":38031,"date":"2025-06-15T20:36:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T01:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/?page_id=38031"},"modified":"2026-02-26T01:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T07:55:19","slug":"start-here","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/?page_id=38031","title":{"rendered":"If you\u2019re new here…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve just discovered this site, welcome.<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

This space has been around for 15 years now. Like any long-running conversation, it has evolved over time.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find thousands of posts here. The more recent pieces are most likely to represent the way I see the world today. Some of the older essays represent earlier chapters of my thinking, my life and my attempts to make sense of things. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything from the past that I would completely disavow \u2014 insofar as disagreeing with the ideas \u2014 but there are plenty of cases in which I wrote in ways that don\u2019t express the way I\u2019d say something today.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering what most defines this site today \u2014 what themes and questions tend to run through my writing now \u2014 this page will help you find your footing.<\/p>\n

Recurring themes<\/b><\/h3>\n

Over time, certain themes have become central to what I explore here. If any of these resonate with you, you may feel at home.<\/p>\n

Meaning and inner life<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Questions of identity, purpose, regret, self-awareness, contradiction, growth.<\/p>\n

\u2192 Explore essays about Meaning<\/i><\/a><\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

Culture and the modern condition<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Technology, media, social conditioning, collective habits, unexamined assumptions.<\/p>\n

\u2192 Explore essays about Culture<\/i><\/a><\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

Relationships and human connection<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Love, compatibility, loneliness, expectations, vulnerability, emotional risk.<\/p>\n

\u2192 Explore essays about Connections<\/i><\/a><\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

Sanity and perspective<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Reflections on cats, dogs, loyalty, honesty, and what they reveal about us.<\/p>\n

\u2192 Explore essays about Perspectives<\/i><\/a><\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

Creativity and the creative life<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Writing, filmmaking, fear, ambition, unfinished projects, the struggle to create meaningful work.<\/p>\n

\u2192 Explore essays about Creativity<\/i><\/a><\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

Growth and healing<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Psychology, family dysfunction, personal growth and traveling the path toward emotional health.<\/p>\n

\u2192 Explore essays about Healing<\/i><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Invitation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If these themes resonate with you, you\u2019re warmly invited to explore. You\u2019re welcome to agree, disagree, reflect or linger.<\/p>\n

Many readers return because something here articulates thoughts they\u2019ve struggled to name \u2014 or asks questions they didn\u2019t realize they were carrying with them. At times, I struggle to articulate something I’ve not yet fully understood, so you might sometimes see me sharpen a focus or change an emphasis over time.<\/p>\n

I understand a lot more \u2014 about myself, about creation, about reality and about our culture \u2014 than I did 15 years ago. I have a stronger understanding today of my purpose in creating. I hope to connect with those whose minds and hearts resonate with the truth as I\u2019ve come to understand it.<\/p>\n

Either way, I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here.<\/p>\n

David McElroy<\/strong>
\nBirmingham, Alabama USA
\nPlanet Earth
\ndavidmcelroy@mac.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve just discovered this site, welcome. This space has been around for 15 years now. Like any long-running conversation, it has evolved over time. You\u2019ll find thousands of posts here. The more recent pieces are most likely to represent the way I see the world today. Some of the older essays represent earlier chapters Keep Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page_landing.php","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-38031","page","type-page","status-publish","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P1x9iR-9Tp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38031"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38653,"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38031\/revisions\/38653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}