But another, less famous scene, is one I have had many conversations about with my oldest brother. There is a short scene where it is mentioned that, if under attack and no pilot is available, Air Force One will “deploy countermeasures.” That is, it will maneuver itself to avoid what it fears is a potential threat. (Later, the plane loses the capability, and the passengers must fight on their own.)
This is the concept my brother and I have spoke about. Yes, it’s a computer-programmed response. But, it is often very commonly seen in human behavior as well.
Here’s the thing I think is most notable about deploying countermeasures: oftentimes, we aren’t consciously aware we are doing it. Take for example a toddler. You see a fussy toddler in the store with his parent. And, they are acting up and the parent is literally at their wit’s end. They grab the child by the hand, and tell them “NO! We are leaving!”
It can be a cringe-worthy scene to witness.
And, what does the child do?
Drop to the floor. Dead Weight. You see this little toddler dangling from the hand of its mother or father, and he’s screaming at the top of his lungs and has literally turned into a pile of mush, his entire body limp, becoming dead weight suspended by his parent's hand.
He just deployed countermeasures.
He doesn’t like what’s about to happen, so he does the only thing he knows: stop the forward motion. Stop what may come next and be upsetting. (I.e. mommy dragging him out of the store.)
The peculiar thing is, many adults do this, too. When we are put in a situation that we feel we can’t control, or we’re uncomfortable with what may be happening or said, we deploy countermeasures. I think 99% of the time, it is a subconscious action that we have been trained/taught/learned/developed (or whatever the case is) over time, based on past relationships or interactions.
Here’s the problem with that:
Deploying countermeasures can sometimes really backfire and stunt your growth or chance at happiness.
It is an automated response to something we fear in some way. If you want better things, better people, better relationships, or better work environments in your life, you need to stop and think for a moment before you deploy your automatic initial reply. Because, true growth will come when you let your guard down, and open yourself up to new experiences, ideas, situations, and problems.
It has been said that creativity and new ideas come from boredom, because the mind is aching to search out new and ingenious ways to solve a problem or create interest. It craves something interesting to keep itself stimulated. With that concept in mind, the same goes for your interpersonal relationships in life. If you are constantly deploying countermeasures to save yourself from your expected failure or heartache, you will never find true success, happiness, peace or love, because you’ve never opened yourself up to the possibility of a different outcome than those you’ve been exposed to.
If you pause … and hold back on deploying your countermeasures, perhaps you will be surprised at what will come. I’m not telling you to drop your moral code, or act in a way to hurt yourself. I'm merely saying: drop the automatic response that is triggered with fear or stress.
Sometimes, fear and stress can push us to dig deeper within ourselves and the people who we relate to, and give us an even better reward than we ever thought possible. Just because that's how it's always been, doesn't mean it's always how it must be.
Break the cycle. Forget your normal countermeasures. Take a chance, take a deep breath, face what scares you most, and be brave.