Is it true that acting quickly and instinctively is the best response to a crisis? Or are there times when an urgent situation requires a more careful consideration and a slower response?

-…I actually think this is kind of crappy… I might have to rewrite it but I don’t feel like it and I need to go anyways-

Is it true that acting quickly and instinctively is the best response to a crisis, or are there times when an urgent situation requires a more careful consideration and a slower response?

Now days, most people prefer people who think things through, who foresee the consequences and find the best solution with deliberate thought and the mapping out of actions. Spontaneity is something amazing that all people should strive for, but it is under appreciated by people when the situation is perilous, as they think it is best to think things through and look at previous events that were similar to find the probable best solution. They don’t remember when all a person had was their instincts, back when historical information wasn’t readily available and the only course of action was to do what they thought was best.

Military commanders and generals tend to plan and map out their attacks and plans of action. If they were impulsive, they would often make rash decisions. For example, if the persons flight-or-fight response is to fight, they might attack people who might’ve become allies had they not. If it is to flee, then they can easily be overcome by the enemy. Out in the field, they must make on-the-spot decisions, and this is where many mistakes are made. They can’t see the big picture, they don’t know what all is happening, and they may make the wrong decision.
Firefighters, on the other hand, must act on instinct. They don’t have time to think about what they’re doing, not when peoples lives are in danger. Even if they are the type of person to think about things, they often don’t have that choice.

While most of the time it’s probably best to think about things, to make sure what we’re doing is really the best thing, spontaneous, instinctual action is a great ability that we should all be grateful to have. While we may not put it to use in every situation, we should still take our initial response into consideration when debating with yourself about what to do.