Homunculus in the Head Podcast

In this episode, I interview Chris Lilly. Chris is a friend, bandmate, and Senior Vice President of Technology at Eurest USA. Chris and I talk about how we met and his background, family, and upbringing. He details his humble beginnings and how he was able to grow and build an extremely successful career as a senior leader at a global billion-dollar company. We take a deep dive into how he discovered his aptitude for electronic component repair, which led to IT networking, project management, project implementation, and gaining experience as a leader. We discuss how he was able to navigate corporate America by continually observing others, learning, adapting his skills, which led to him eventually building, managing, and leading his own teams. We also discuss the career challenges presented by COVID-19, including the setbacks, uncertainty, and how he was able to maintain a positive perspective by focusing on the things he was able to control. Chris explains how his family, particularly his two daughters, are what gives his life existential meaning and how they helped create his sense of purpose. He also explains his take on the complexity of politics as a whole and why he thinks it’s ultimately an irrational, unpredictable and divisive and a topic to be avoided altogether. Finally, we circle back around to music, digital versus analog recordings, current music projects, and our musical tastes and opinions. Helpful links: Chris’s finger-style solo guitar album links and samples: https://chrislilly.hearnow.com/ Our Arena Rock cover band: NOS (New Old School) https://www.facebook.com/NewOldSchoolRocks/ Chris’s other cover band: Logan’s Zeros https://www.facebook.com/LogansZeroes/ Bands for the Brave: https://www.facebook.com/BandsForTheBrave/ Contact me at: [email protected] or find me on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/buzz.crowhurst.1

This is an introduction to the Homunculus in the Head Podcast where I talk about the overall theme of the podcast and what topics I will be talking about with future guests.

I interview Jon Reisdorf. Jon is my uncle and a retired school teacher with a fascinating backstory, including being a former Scientologist, a conscientious objector, and a practicing Buddhist. Jon is well-read in history, politics, and religion. He lives in Northern California where he continues to counsel service members, veterans, potential recruits and their families with the GI Rights Hotline. We cover a whole range of topics ranging from our family's history with Scientology, and how the origins of Scientological beliefs were heavily influenced by eastern philosophy along with military drills and culture. We discuss avoiding the Vietnam draft, prior causes, karma, the illusion of free will, mediation practices, dealing with anxiety, panic attacks, past lives, and reincarnation. Jon also talks about some of his first-hand experiences of taking teachings from the Dalai Lama. We also talk about Nazi's, WW2, and baby Hitler. We compare and contrast empathy, compassion, sympathy, and why too much empathy may be dangerous to one's mental health. Important links: GI Rights Hotline - https://girightshotline.org/ On Having No Head - https://www.headless.org/on-having-no-head.htm The Blooming of a Lotus: Guided Meditations for Achieving the Miracle of Mindfullness - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/901399.The_Blooming_of_a_Lotus Scientology and the Aftermath - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leah_Remini:_Scientology_and_the_Aftermath Why we don’t have free will - and that’s okay - https://youtu.be/o0GN4urbA_c