Pronounced Tool-o Mahn-chay.
It means “Big Man” or “Big Person”. People here use the phrase as part of everyday speech. The saano maancheharu (small people) all recognize the disease and all of the problems it causes. People here strive for power and position, and once they get it they indulge in their reward of making people wait on them hand and foot. Yep, even if before they once recognized it as a disease, now that they have the power it becomes a reward, even a right.
Thousands of man hours a day are wasted here indulging Thulo maancheharu. For even the smallest things the guy in charge loves to treat people like rats in a maze. So far my funniest example is buying a stamp at the post office. Here’s how it goes… You ask for a stamp at one window, they direct you to another window, there they give you a piece of paper that you take to the next window, there you pay and are given a receipt to take to the next window, there you get confirmation and may proceed to the 5th and final window for your stamp. I hear that the Thulo maanche had many cousins who needed jobs.
The very big people here are in charge of the ministries. Ministry here meaning government office. They run things the same way, only instead of a rat maze they take great pleasure in just watching people grovel. That is how it has been with our visas. We are very blessed to have people who know how this works taking care of it for us, but it has been an uphill battle.
So what’s the deal with this? I heard a fantastic message at church the other day. The speaker started right in on this topic. Except, it wasn’t government ministry he was referring to. It was Christian ministry. This disease is present in the church!
The message ended with a challenge. “What is your most cherished ambition?” … Of course as a Christian that should be to please God. I hope you know that those who would please God must be a servant to all. If your ambition is power and position, to have people obey you, to order them around and answer your every whim… If that is your ambition then it will be impossible to please God. If that is your motivation then you will only corrupt the world more with your indulgence.
That message was so challenging. That desire is waiting to consume us. Crouching at our door. The act of catching a disease does not change it from a disease to a privilege. It is still a disease. The greatest (aka one who pleases God) amoung us will likely be the most unknown. “I must become less, He must become greater.”
Matthew 11:7.5-11.5 – “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. … Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.”
-ICA