My Soapbox

My Soapbox

By John CrossSociety & Culture
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My Soapbox episodes

  • 243. Falling Down

    In this episode, I finally get to give my movie review of the 1993 film, "Falling Down," starring Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall, directed by Joel Schumacher. It is a movie I consider a masterpiece of social criticism of so many of the societal ills we still live with 32 years after it was made, and them some. I also review some of my incomplete musical compositions and artistic projects in which I attempt to express this same kind of societal criticism in the spirit of the "Falling Down" movie. 


    1 hr 36 min
  • 240. Fasten Your Seatbelts

    In this episode, I discuss some of my excellent progress with my weight loss and getting in better shape, and my stepmom's improved demeanor the last time I saw her late this past week.  I also reflect on the latest troubling news, including the nationwide protests over federal immigration enforcement raids, the "no kings" protests from people who have had enough of the Donald Trump dictatorship, and the very troubling thought of Donald Trump running for a third term, and if elected, the congress either letting him be president, which would be a complete abandonment of the Constitution, or enforce the Constitution and in doing so, risk the likely outbreak of the greatest political violence the United States has seen since the Civil War. I also talk about the sudden and sad news of the passing of a man I have called "Easter Sunday Placemats" in several episodes on this podcast. He apparently died this past Tuesday, 6/10/25, and was found in his home deceased, presumably today, 6/14/25.  I also reflect briefly on the passing of another congregation member, who was in hospice and whose passing was therefore more expected than that of this other man who passed away. I also reflect on Sam Harris' Making Sense episode #419 with Jaron Lowenstein, and especially focus on the "gooey center" of salvation that Christianity offers, which Sam argues is the real appeal of religion, and why without it there would not be the degree of buy in, because without such ego promises, what's left to discuss in a church are mundane questions such as who is going to bring the egg salad to the church picnic.  I also express my dumbfoundedness  on the Associated Press' White House access lawsuit, and the fact that such a lawsuit is even necessary by the AP to restore the First Amendment right and freedom of the press to have access to the very seat of our government, which is to my mind beyond belief we are already at this point, just five long months into the Trump presidency. I also reflect on the tragic Air India airplane crash on June 9, 2025, which killed 241 people, incredibly with 1 survivor after the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, reminding me of the American Airlines Flight 191 airplane crash on May 25, 1979, which crashed just across the street from O'Hare Airport after it lost an engine very quickly after takeoff.  


    1 hr 1 min
  • 213. Religion and Politics
    In this episode, I express several of my thoughts on recent events in politics, including the disastrous debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump on Thursday, June 27, 2024, which could prove to be a turning point in this election. Biden's confused, sometimes forgetful, and sometimes stammering manner of speech caught the attention of many, with calls for Biden to step down from the Presidential race, even by some Democrats. The follow up interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Friday, 7/5/24 did little to quiet the critics, and in fact seemed to add gasoline to the already burning fire with just over a month to go before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. What could possibly go wrong at the DNC in Chicago? We need only look back to 1968 for the answer, complete with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running for president as an independent candidate who will almost certainly lose, but could turn this election even more in favor of Donald Trump. In this political environment, more of the same violence of 1968 could certainly ensue in 2024, especially with Joe Biden's legitimacy as a candidate coming under intense scrutiny. I also express my continued disgust with the unconscionable double standards Israel continues to be held to by the corrupt UN and much of the world in its continued war waged in Gaza against Hamas, the amazing podcast episode on Sam Harris' "Making Sense" entitled "Anti-Zionism Is Antisemitism" with Michal Colter-Wunsh, Israel's Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism. I discuss the religious implications of this war in Gaza and how the Muslim Hamas' charter requires they destroy all Jews and the State of Israel, making any good faith negotiations with them impossible. Also discussed is the Christian contributions to modern antisemitism since most Jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah, Son of God, and are often still charged with "deicide," the charge of killing God, or Christ, which interestingly enough, is necessary for Christian theology to work. I also reflect on Michal Colter-Wunsh’s impassioned, intelligent, and extremely powerful speech at the UN in November of 2023. I also express my disgust on the sadly not surprising decision of the also corrupt Supreme Court saying that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts that fall within their "exclusive sphere of constitutional authority," which means Jack Smith's use of allegations that Trump tried to use the investigative power of the Justice Department to undo election results was wiped out. I suppose using the Justice Department as a means to undo democratic election results is an example, at least to the Supreme Court as "within a former presidents' exclusive sphere of constitutional authority.
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    1 hr 24 min
  • 188. Free Will and Morality
    In this episode, I speak again with my best friend Dave in a discussion mostly about free will and morality, among other topics. In this discussion, we talk about some of the different ways one can talk about manifested things such as objects like tables and chairs, as well as concepts like morality, free will, etc. within our experienced, relative world, or a "higher level" of reality, and the fact none of these things actually and ultimately exist within another level of ultimate reality in which there is only consciousness or stasis, and change or discreteness. We discuss how there is in fact, no genuine morality in light of the fact of determinism, and therefore there can only be, at best, action taken with others out of pragmatic necessity. In other words, we put people in prison to protect ourselves and others from these individuals, not necessarily because we deem them "evil" or "bad" people, which is an impossible judgment to make about others in light of determinism since with the truth of determinism, one cannot do otherwise than what they in fact did. I discuss my shared misgivings with Sam Harris regarding some "compatibilists' view that determinism and free will can somehow coexist at the same time. I argue the only way this makes sense is to argue that at the relative "higher" level of reality we need out of pragmatic necessity to consider ourselves and others moral agents with free will even though the truth of determinism makes this an ultimate impossibility. In our discussion we also discuss our thoughts on some conversations on the "Making Sense of Free Will" episode on Sam Harris' "Making Sense" podcast episode released February 14, 2023 in which Sam talks with author and physicist Sean Carroll, mathematician and author Jedea Peral, and biologist Jerry Coyne among others.  
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    54 min
  • 169. How to Resolve Conflict With Others
    This episode consists of an audio version of a book I wrote from November 1, 2015 to February 7, 2016 entitled "Detach... How to Resolve Conflict With Others."  It was written after yet another enlightening visit from my friend Dave in which I flesh out some of the ideas we had discussed during that visit on how to resolve conflict with others. I consider the topic especially timely in today's hyper-partisan world, yet is always timely since human conflict has been around as long as there have been human beings.  The chapters are as follows:
    1.  The Problem of Conflict
    2.  Rocking the Boat
    3.  The Rules of Relationship
    4.  Unconditional Acceptance
    5.  Boundaries
    6.  The Four Steps to Resolving Conflict
    7.  The Big Picture
    8.  Meeting Halfway
    9.  Ownership and Forgiveness
    1 hr 35 min
  • 166. How Does the Self Happen?
    In this discussion with my friend Dave, we talk about some ideas on how the self, or the persistent feeling of a permanent, unchanging “entity” or “experiencer” or “doer” may emerge as a felt experience. Also discussed is how values are inseparable from our actions and decision making.
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    54 min
  • 155. Psychological Continuity
    In this episode Dave and I discuss our thoughts on two pieces of audio from Sam Harris’ “Waking Up” app entitled “The Paradox of Identity” and “The Paradox of Death.” Among other discoveries, we come to an understanding of the ego being synonymous with psychological continuity.
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    1 hr 3 min
  • Music

    Musical introduction

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    1 min
  • 130. God... The Final Frontier?
    In this episode, I discuss my thoughts on the first chapter of a short booklet entitled "God, The Final Frontier" by Philip Delre.  In this episode, I discuss why all theistic worldviews, including Christianity must be false since dualism - the very philosophical position upon which all theistic worldviews depend in order to be true, is false. We know it is false since in genuine dualism, there would be two separate, opposite, and independent "realities" or "substances," but if that were the case, then one would cancel out the other, which would only result in nothingness, which is obviously false. It is interesting how Delre purports via his theistic position that dualism is true, yet if it were it would result in the very nothingness he knows is not the case.  I propose there is only oneness, but it has two fundamental principles, namely stasis (synonymous with consciousness), and change, and these are NOT two separate, opposite, and independent realities, but are rather two sides to the same one coin of All.  This accounts for the fact of oneness, as well as the apparent duality or "separation" within our known reality, while not leading to "nothingness" since these two sides are not separate, but two sides of the same One. 
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    29 min
  • 129. The Dream of the Individual
    In this episode I again speak with my friend Dave as we discuss our thoughts on a conversation entitled "Wrestling the Paradox" with Jim Newman and Sam Harris on his "Waking Up" meditation app.  In this discussion, we speak of the contradiction of Jim's speaking of "non-happening," all the while holding an actually happening conversation with Sam Harris. The fundamental issue with Jim's position is his denial of change while speaking of "non-solidity," which is only possible if change is really happening. We also discuss the arrogance of those who would claim "enlightenment." There is also discussion on the non-contradictory position of Reality being All, with two side of the same "one coin" of All, being stasis (synonymous with consciousness) and change.  
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    1 hr 10 min

About My Soapbox

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The "My Soapbox" podcast is a place where I can think out loud on several topics, including religion and spirituality, logic, reason, epistemology, science, critical thinking, politics, culture,…