@deeploneliness_: when you understand people deeply, anger rarely stays simple. instead of just seeing what they did, you start seeing the pain behind it, the patterns, the insecurities, the experiences that shaped them into who they are. and while that level of empathy can make you compassionate, it can also make it harder to protect yourself. because understanding someone can slowly turn into excusing them, and excusing them can keep you attached to situations that are hurting you. the hard truth is that empathy and boundaries have to exist together. you can understand why someone acted the way they did and still decide it wasn’t okay. you can have compassion for someone’s wounds without letting those wounds keep cutting you. emotional intelligence isn’t just about understanding others, it’s also about knowing when your understanding is starting to cost you your own peace.