There’s a difference between empathy and enabling.
Empathy is saying, “I understand why you feel that way. I can see where you’re coming from.”
Enabling is using that understanding to excuse harmful behavior, avoid accountability, or pretend there isn’t a problem.
And at some point, enabling stops being passive. When you continually defend, encourage, validate, or make excuses for behavior that hurts other people, you become part of the harm too.
You can understand someone’s pain without justifying what they do because of it. You can care about someone and still hold them accountable. You can support someone without supporting every choice they make.
That’s empathy with boundaries: I understand you - and I still expect better from you.