Supportive traits are like great personal assistants that help us navigate through life’s challenges more smoothly. From handling day-to-day responsibilities to tackling complex issues, we often and consciously rely on these trusted aides—our supportive traits—knowing that they are capable and reliable at what they do. Ultimately, living in the absence of our supportive traits is akin to losing both our arms; we would struggle tremendously to function without them.

Your habits shape your identity,
and your identity shapes your habits.

James Clear

As our supportive traits come naturally to us, we tend to employ them effortlessly, as if we are writing and drawing with our dominant hand. Therefore, we often take our supportive traits for granted, not realizing how valuable they are to someone of a different archetype. If left unchecked, we might even run the risk of overusing them, preventing other parts of ourselves from flourishing.

Like our dominant traits, our supportive traits are simply facets of our personalities. Whether they are strengths or weaknesses is entirely dependent on the way we utilize them. If we cultivate and develop our supportive traits well, they can become valuable additions to our toolbox of super strengths. However, if we use them in an unhealthy manner, the same traits will ultimately lead to our undoing.

Wherever they go, Alchemists are constantly diving into different theories, philosophies, and systems. They strive to understand every little gear that powers the machinery of life, seeking to uncover the unwritten laws that set the world in motion. And when Alchemists have finished dissecting them, they integrate these elements into their core principles. This builds up their tenets into an impenetrable framework; a guide that brings the truth to light.

On the other hand, their views are not always as precise as they would like to believe. Oftentimes, Alchemists develop their tenets without seeking any form of input from others, believing it to be unnecessary. Thus, there are times where their principles would sound perfectly fine to their ears but completely illogical to others. In other words, if an Alchemist’s truths are devoid of external scrutiny, they might be viewed as nothing more than a stuck-up opinion.

To make matters worse, some Alchemists may take their principles a step too far. They tend to forget that tenets are meant to be universal truths, rather than just a personal belief. Always stuck to their own perspectives, Alchemists may even conceive maxims to conveniently justify their mistakes and shortcomings. Without even realizing it, Alchemists put themselves at risk of leading a self-centered existence, ignorant of the world around them.

The world is a cauldron of perplexing concepts. Instead of being intimidated, Alchemists feel the opposite, eager to figure them all out. With the ability to recognize the underlying patterns within ideas, they often notice perspectives that others might miss. This makes it easy for them to deconstruct logical arguments down to basic building blocks. Armed with a precise understanding of the puzzle pieces at hand, Alchemists tend to reach accurate and nuanced conclusions.

Unfortunately, their capacity for logical clarity does not extend to their understanding of social dynamics, which can often be less than stellar. Being independent thinkers, they rarely include others in the equation of their decision-making. This sets them up for conflict as their choices may affect others negatively although they did not intend to. Alchemists who carry this self-centered mindset will find themselves in trouble when people begin to avoid them entirely.

At the extreme end, some Alchemists may be so full of themselves that they dismiss external feedback entirely. They live their whole lives behind a veil of ignorance, with their realities clouded by subjectivity. Rather than opening up to opinions that shed light on the flaws of their logic, they double down on their own reasonings instead. Alchemists who act out like this may think that they are upholding the pillars of truth, but in reality, they are just being stubborn.

The answer to life’s riddles are locked behind closed doors, waiting to be uncovered. The keys can only be found through guidance, one that comes in the form of a powerful framework. Striving to break these answers free, Alchemists are constantly developing various theories to solve the unknown. But as the problems become more complex, so must the solutions. As such, Alchemists will never stop working on their frameworks; a process that lasts the entire course of their lives.

However, there are times where Alchemists treat their frameworks as a one-stop solution for all problems in life, even those that clearly require different approaches. When things do not work out as expected, they might force fit their solutions, causing more harm than good. Reluctant to accept that their frameworks are not as versatile as they thought, Alchemists inadvertently shut out opportunities to develop better methods to navigate life’s complexities.

Some Alchemists might even take it up a notch, clinging on to their frameworks dogmatically, for better or worse. Being so hard-headed, they resist or outright reject anything that even remotely challenges their way of thinking. They argue endlessly with others over the most trivial of issues, believing that their way is the only one right way of doing things. Blind to the truth, Alchemists who act like this will not see reason even when it is right in front of their eyes.

Thus far, we have explored both the Alchemist's dominant and supportive traits. In our jargon, these traits are known as one's heroic traits. Think about it, don't we all look like heroes when we put these traits to use? Not just wannabe heroes, but real ones—those who are truly powerful yet unimpressed with their own abilities.

Superhuman strength and the ability to fly are awesome superpowers that we all wished we had. But Superman doesn't pride himself in any of those abilities. To him, using those powers to save the world is just another day on the job. Similarly, even though we are great at our dominant and supportive traits, we do not find them the least bit amazing. From our perspective, there is nothing special about these mundane things that we do every day.

That said, as heroic as our traits may seem, no hero in the world is perfect. Even the most powerful heroes, such as Naruto, Thor, or Wonder Woman, have their own flaws and weaknesses. However, that does not invalidate them as heroes; it only makes them all the more admirable. The same goes for our own heroic traits. They may not be perfect, but our strive to improve them is what sets us apart.

I am not a hero. I just did what any
decent person would have done.

Miep Gies

When our heroic traits bask in the light, they will inevitably cast shadows—traits that we tend to neglect. Our shadows are foreign to us, as they are the complete opposite of our natural traits. Because we fear what we don't understand, most of us will subconsciously push away or suppress these parts of ourselves. Unfortunately, if we allow the fear of failure to overpower our minds, these suppressed shadows will eventually swallow us whole.

Nevertheless, shadows are not our weaknesses. They are simply parts of ourselves that we are unfamiliar with, and therefore, would rather avoid. But if we harness our shadows, they will eventually become our hidden strengths. It may be daunting at first to explore these dark and unknown parts of ourselves. However, with a curious mind and a compassionate heart, there's nothing to be afraid of. With that said, let us venture deep into the shadows within us.

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Shadows Within [Alchemist]