Respond vs React
U want to respond to things rather than react to things. A response flows out of awareness of the present situation, it fits, it has a quality of appropriateness, freshness, and possibly surprise. U can't plan or train a response, although our responses do draw upon our plans and training as a resource.
Reactions arise without awareness. Your system will react to things on autopilot by default. Reactions spring from our past and our training. Reactions may only partly apply to the present situation.