Man in the Hole. Or: The Mirrored Self-Image

I have just watched a documentary about Mongolian homeless people who live in Ulan Bator's district heating sewers during the winter. There is no other way for them to survive the Siberian cold we face.

As I live in the same city, as a foreigner and as I am relatively well off here, I felt particularly affected by viewing it.

Which stratagem was responsible for this?

Number 13: “Beat the grass to startle the snakes”. A small action causes a bigger reaction to identify possible problems (Senger 1993: 185-214).

The documentary holds up a mirror to me: It shocks me. Not because I see the plight of the poor people, but because I see my reaction to it: I'm still in the warm, with money in my pockets, uncertain what to do. But I rather should be more more worried about those freezing in the gullies around me.

The plight of those affected existed long before I watched the nine-year-old documentary show. But I wasn't aware of it, I probably didn't care, maybe I still don't do.

And that causes a dissonance with my self-image. This tells me (automatically) that I may not be the best, but I'm definitely better than most of the rest. Let's be modest: I'm in the top twenty percent. So I'm only average - that's how everyone perceives themselves.

But how can I be better (humanly speaking) if, as such a good person, I obviously don't give a shit about the fate of those in need in the manholes around me? And even if I really am as good or better than most, what can I expect from those worse ones when they watch the video? Total moral depravity or am I not already fulfilling it?

Conclusion

The documentary about the homeless people in Ulan Bator's sewers evoked a whole range of unpleasant feelings in me. But more than that, it left me with the uneasy feeling that even if I were to do something now, I would probably not do it for the sake of these people, but to reduce cognitive dissonance and reconcile my self-image with myself.

Altruism (presumably) looks different.

Source

1. Senger, Harro von (1993): The Book of Stratagems. Tactics for Triumph and Survival. Under participation of Myron B. Gubitz. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

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