I wholeheartedly would say that it is an acquired skill. My sole motivation for it is to empathically look at the damages it can bring to the lives of people I love and the lives of the people they love too. What is good for all of us? Often I find, emotions don't always take center stage to the answer to that. It's usually a balance.
For example @David Nelson's predicament screams that the madamme has made a choice. Whatever the strength of those so-called connections, she has still made a choice. Shouldn't that be respected? Connection or no connection, choices bring with them consequences. It seems apparent that she knows which consequences she'd rather be responsible for and it isn't the whirlwind of attraction. Whatever her truth may be, the probability that she has weighed her choices thoroughly is there. No is no. Blocking is blocking. Let's accept that. It might give us peace.
That works very well if one were an athiest. If however one believes there is a supreme intelligence and/or a "plan" that does indeed not work so well.