Just after the incident, and just before your emotional response.
Once again, I know exactly what you're talking about.
Yes, this is the "best" vantage-point from which to "choose your path" (so-to-speak).
HOWEver, this "quiet-place" is not "without desire".
This "quiet-place" is not "fully-neutral".
This "quiet-place" is somewhat insulated from the "immediate storm" of "this moment".
What you are in this "quiet-place" is still the amalgam of your "life-experience" and your "biology" (including your "instincts").
The "you" that is calm and quiet "inside yourself" is still shaped by your past.
The "you" that is calm and quiet "inside yourself" is still a slave to DESIRE.
The "you" that is calm and quiet "inside yourself" still wants something.
The "you" that is calm and quiet "inside yourself" still has a goal.
And although that goal may be more subtle and more "noble", it's still compelling you to act.
And compelled action is not "free".