Welcome! I am Bruce Webber, and I live near Detroit. Recently, I’ve gotten in touch with a desire to express myself; this website is one vehicle for that. My first articletells more.

Here are some of my identities and interests:

Software Development

I am a professional software developer, working with Python, JavaScript, and Google Cloud Platform. (See my resume.) Outside of my day job, I’m active with EMPUG, the Eastern Michigan Python Users Group.

General Semantics

Since young adulthood, I have been strongly influenced by the work of Alfred Korzybski, who developed the system of General Semantics in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his phrase “the map is not the territory”. See my My Core Values article to learn more about General Semantics.

Getting Things Done (GTD)

GTD is a productivity methodology that helps me be more organized and focused. Interestingly, GTD addresses aspects of meaning and attention.

Voluntaryism

Voluntaryism states that interactions between people should be voluntary, that is, by mutual consent. A spontaneous order can then emerge as the result of these decentralized, voluntary interactions. See The Voluntaryist website for additional information.

Unitarian Universalism

I am a Unitarian Universalist and a member of Birmingham Unitarian Church , where I served as president for two years. I consider myself agnostic. I do not believe in a personal God, but I’m open to ideas of a universal spirit or consciousness.

Nonviolent Communication

I’ve been practicing Nonviolent Communication (NVC) for several years. Marshall Rosenberg developed NVC and described it in his book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. From NVC, I’m developing a nonjudgmental perspective and learning how to express my feelings and values.

The Gentle Shift

As I look back, I see that many of the articles on this site involve personal development, a topic I’m passionate about. This realization has led me to start a Substack newsletter called The Gentle Shift, in which I'll share what I've learned about the tools and practices that support personal growth. I discuss this more in my article Introducing The Gentle Shift.

Integral Theory

Around 1980, I read Ken Wilber’s book No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth. I lost track of Wilber’s work after that until my friend Katie introduced me to Spiral Dynamics and Wilber’s Integral Theory.

These disciplines teach that just as individuals go through different stages of development, so do societies. Each stage builds upon the capabilities and insights of the previous stage, adding new ones. Each stage is more complex.

When I talk with someone with a different worldview, I now approach the conversation with openness and curiosity. What is compelling about this person’s perspective? What truths does it contain? Can I hold this person’s perspective while continuing to hold my own? Is there a new, more complex perspective that includes both?