Why meditate?

I recently advised someone, via text, to do nothing from a place of fear and/or desperation.  Later I looked back and realized that I had done just that. With the text that I sent and the actions that followed.  I find that on the days that I meditate, I make better choices, better connections with people, and I recuperate more easily from unexpected or even tragic situations.
I tend to write what I need to hear most, probably because we all tend to project onto others what we ourselves are feeling and needing.  I will be intentional and authentic here by saying, this is advice I am giving myself because I need to hear it and pause and contemplate it often.

I can't speak to the exact science, but I believe that our amygdala and prefrontal cortex in our brains are responsible for our regulation of emotions and our decision-making.  Under manageable, healthy levels of stress, these two work together to improve our decision-making and getting things done mentality.  When we are under enough stress, our amygdala signals our fight or flight response and hormones are released.  The decision-making part of our brain in some way goes offline when this happens.  I have looked back many times on my poor decision-making and said, "what was I thinking?"  The answer is that I wasn't really using my best thinking brain because it was doped up on stress hormone.  I've heard that when our amygdala the almond size center under the prefrontal cortex fires the stress hormone at alarming rates, it "flips our lid", taking the prefrontal cortex offline.

I am proposing (to myself), that having a daily practice of meditation and not watching the local news both do the following to help curtail this reaction.

Starting with a clearer mind, I tend to perceive danger in a more rational way.
If a fight or flight response is triggered and there really isn't that level of immediate need for action, a calmer mind has a better chance to remember to pause, breathe and wait for the brain to come back online before taking action or making any big decisions.
When the body gets to rest long enough without the stress hormone overload, then it can recuperate more quickly and easily from real crisis.
I make better decisions when I am calm than when I am panicking.
I am healthier physically and mentally when I am not doped up on stress hormones.
I am a lot more easy to be around when I'm not hyped up on fear and desperation.
I can recognize what is mine to care for and what is the responsibility of someone else.

I know that meditation every day puts me more in control over my perceptions and reactions.