To belong, to be a member of the tribe, safe from being thrust out of the only home we know, we internalize the task of making sense of the Other. Then, when the Other acts irrationally—or, importantly, with a rationale that we can’t discern, we get ensnared in a logical trap: It’s dangerous to upset the Other. So, our “job” is not only to keep the Other from becoming upset but to bring the Other back to making sense, to not being upset. We become the guardians of those who should be protecting us. We task ourselves with being the firm ground upon which they can stand despite their
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