{"id":38519,"date":"2026-02-12T00:09:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/?page_id=38519"},"modified":"2026-02-15T04:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T10:05:11","slug":"animals-sanity-and-perspective","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/?page_id=38519","title":{"rendered":"Sanity and perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

No two people inhabit the same world.<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Each of us moves through life guided by temperament, memory, belief and experience. What feels obvious to one person may feel invisible to another.<\/p>\n

These essays offer glimpses into how one mind wrestles with identity, success, disappointment, beauty and the uneasy friction between idealism and reality.<\/p>\n

▶ What kind of person are you if there\u2019s not a word to define you?<\/a><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Identity can feel stable until familiar labels begin to fail. A reflection on self-definition, belonging and the discomfort of living between categories.<\/p>\n

▶ In cold and dehumanized culture, many yearn to feel human again<\/a><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Even brief encounters can reveal deep cultural longings. A meditation on freedom, dignity and the quiet desperation to reclaim something essentially human.<\/p>\n

▶ What is your measure of success? For me, meaning keeps changing<\/a><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Success rarely looks the same across a lifetime. An exploration of shifting values, mortality and the lessons learned when old ambitions lose their hold.<\/p>\n

▶ Fallen world keeps bruising me, but I still believe love will win<\/a><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Idealism and cynicism wage a constant battle. A personal reflection on disappointment, resilience and the stubborn refusal to surrender hope.<\/p>\n

▶ I\u2019m slowly learning how to be contented as an ordinary man<\/a><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

I used to have a strong need to see myself as great. This is an exploration of my transition to the point of being satisfied as an ordinary human being.<\/p>\n

<\u2014 Back to main Welcome page<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No two people inhabit the same world. Each of us moves through life guided by temperament, memory, belief and experience. What feels obvious to one person may feel invisible to another. These essays offer glimpses into how one mind wrestles with identity, success, disappointment, beauty and the uneasy friction between idealism and reality. ▶ What Keep Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":38031,"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":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-38519","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P1x9iR-a1h","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38519","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=38519"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38577,"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38519\/revisions\/38577"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidmcelroy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}