Emotions define our humanity. But it also gets in our way when we need to be operative, thus we must sometimes defer our humanity and be analytic.
“To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden.” -Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Emotions play an important role in how we operate as normal human beings. “Feelings” motivate us into action (or inaction), help with our survival instincts and influences our decision making processes.
Furthermore, emotions give us a deeper way to understand others and others to understand us.
In other words, emotions help us function. But when there’s too much or when it’s overwhelming, such as when it manifests during extreme cases of conflict or in the chaos of combat, it can make us disfunction.
Raging arguments, physical altercations, traumatic incidents and extreme moments of pain are when our emotions are heightened off the charts. But it’s also when it’s the most dangerous to our ability to face these events with effectiveness and efficiency.
It’s in these times that emotions distort our decision making capabilities and often veer us away from our own best interests – truly clouding our judgment.
It’s in these times that pure logic must move and drive our actions and not be directed by faulty emotions.
So when actively faced with conflict or chaos, be emotionally detached so that you can focus and think clearly of the situation and maneuver with precision.
Seeing all your available choices and not just what your current state of emotions gravitate to.
The more severe an emotional response is expected from any given situation, the more likely a negative impact it will have on your ability to resolve that difficult task, complication or crisis.
That’s when you know to be smart now (during the occurrence) and emotional later (after the resolution).
It’s a form of professional detachment, like with law enforcement, doctors, lawyers, soldiers and referees – to not be personally involved in something or of having no emotional interest in it to do their jobs better. Except in this case it’s for your own self, or at least deferred for after the fact.
Another way to put this is to temporarily be a “stone cold mothafucka” or more technically a “highly functioning individual with strategically sociopathic tendancies” on a situational basis.
Stay cool, calm and collected with an objective mindset. Keep your feelings at bay knowing you can let it all out after your mission is accomplished.
Drill this phrase into your brain: “Be smart now and angry / scared / jealous / sad later.”
This will be followed up with additional intel.
[Photo taken in Ninh Binh, Vietnam with a Drift 4K Camera, wearing a Vollebak Solar Charged Jacket.]
4 Comments
Excellent post. My boys and i were just discussing this… I hate to bring up a movie but it was in regards to when they got Thanos to sleep and was about to remove his gauntlet. If Starlord kept his cool and left his emotions out of the situation for that moment, they would have at least had a chance of stopping him,
As a former operator myself, I concur. As a medic, I also agree.
Mr. Cain.
TOMMY27 Again !!”In the face of active conflict….emotional calm etc.”Told the Wife years ago”Be as petulant and as difficult as you want before,perform calmly be ADROIT HAVE YOUR SH…T together DURING and only after wards can you let it out emotionaly.
Real world situation-I was home in Europe last Summer,went to Department Store to buy Present for Wife.Exiting Store
at rear Entrance,engaged young Iraqi woman in conversation-How long have you lived here ,how are the people treating you etc??Took my eyes off the street for two(!!!) seconds as we were in conversation-Next thing-CONFRONTED BY TWO MUGGERS,ONE WTF ONE WTM(WI KNIFE)DEMANDING WALLET FROM MYSELF-BAM-LAND SCAPING TO MY LEFT RAISED PLINTHS LOADED WITH 2″X 3″ SLABS OF SLATE STONES set in beds-grabbed handful in each hand-two apeace
THEY COMMENCED TO RUN AWAY(WERE NOT READY FOR MY DEVESTATING RESPONSE(HA HA!)-WYF ATTEMPTS TO GET AWAY FROM ME BY JUMPING ONTO LANDSCAPING-IMMEDIATLY SLIPS OVER DUE TO SLATE(ALWAYS SLIPPERY-IDIOT!!)-cHASED HER DOWN ,WAS PRETTY PISS…D AND BLOOD WAS UP -SCARED THE HELL OUT OF HER BUT HAD SELFCONTROL NOT TO REAK HAVOC(COULD HAVE BUT VOICE TOLD ME TO STOP)-SENSIBLY THE YOUNG IRAQI WOMAN HAD RUN BACK INTO THE STORE FOR SAFETY-I then evaded back to my friends house, about half a mile away,it’s never over in the street until you are VERY far away from the THREAT.
Got back to friends house and Adrenelin had bled off my system ,grabbed a beer ,spilt the beans,an CRIED.
MORAL-have your sh..t together in a DRAMA,it’s ok to loose it AFTERWARDS-NO injusies on either part -good result I’d
say(still piss…d me off however-at myself for letting it happen???)-TOMMY27
Smart now. Emotional later.