Good vs. Bad

“What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher? What is a bad man but a good man’s job? If you don’t understand this, you will get lost, however intelligent you are. It is the great secret.” -Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
I think that there are many layers to this quote. At first glance, it seems to be a simple analogy of Yin and Yang, which would be appropriate to the Tao. However, to me the meaning runs much deeper than that.
“Good” and “bad” are individual judgements, or points of view. Thus the enlightened view all people simply for who they truly are, and rejects no one. He or she seeks to integrate with others rather than segregate.

If one does not learn to do so, then his or her potential for meaningful influence will disintegrate. And if one does not wrap his or her wits around this way of thinking, but instead must continue to judge others, then he or she will most certainly get lost in the contemplation of conflict.
A person is only as valuable to others as he or she can help them. And one cannot be a teacher without compassion and tolerance. Therefore, if one truly attempted to live up to these maxims, he or she might begin to find peace.

Best Turkey Chili

I LOVE chili! However, recently I changed my diet and can no longer eat beef. So, I’ve spent some time trying to come up with a tasty chili using turkey instead. It was a little difficult because turkey is rather tasteless and doesn’t simmer up like beef. This recipe is based off of a winner of the annual World’s Championship Chili Cookoff. I added a few interesting ingredients like beer and cocoa to create a blend of seasonings and flavors that create a mouth-watering chili that I guarantee will have your friends begging for the recipe.
Note: The key to really good chili is the chili powder. Most of the cook-off winning recipes use Gephardt Chili Powder. However, I prefer to have a little more control over my ingredients, which is why I created my own. You can substitute with the store-bought kind if you want.
Ingredients:

• 2 ½ lbs. turkey cutlets, cubed
• ½ lb. hot Italian turkey sausage
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup sweet onion, diced
• 1 can Ortega green peppers, diced
• 20 oz. chicken broth
• 12 oz. dark beer
• 10 Tbsp. Best Chili Powder
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 6 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. butter
• 2 tsp. corn starch or arrowroot
• 2 cans beans (optional)
• 1 tsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• Additional Tabasco sauce and sea salt to taste*

Instructions:
Lightly brown the meat in oil in small batches and add to pot.
Sauté the garlic, onion and peppers until tender and add to pot.
Add the broth, beer, and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Add half of the chili powder and the chicken bouillon and reduce heat. Simmer until the meat is very tender (up to 2 hours.) Add additional broth as necessary to keep meat covered.
In a small sauce pan, melt the butter, add the starch, mix and then stir into the chili.
Add the rest of the ingredients and leave at a very low simmer for another 15 minutes.
Serve with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. Enjoy!
*Note: If you want even more heat, you can add some habañero sauce.
UPDATED: May 12, 2013.