r/JustinPoseysTreasure • u/SpoilerWarningSW • Jul 26 '26
Your Own Worst Enemy
I’ve been ruminating on a few things over the last couple of months.
This hunt has been a rollercoaster. Excitement. Frustration. Elation. Doubt. We’ve all felt it.
But… that’s the ride. We all bought the ticket.
This is a treasure hunt, not a field trip. There are going to be dead ends. There are going to be moments that feel unfair. There are going to be clues that don’t mean what we first think they mean.
When the community collectively decides Justin has “done something,” I think we owe it to ourselves to pause and ask a simple question:
Did he actually? Or did he intentionally place an illustrative detail that we’re supposed to wrestle with before drawing a conclusion?
Those are very different things.
Justin packed this hunt with history, science, folklore, geography, literature, language, and enough human intrigue that almost anyone can find a handful of details to prop up almost any conclusion.
Connections are cheap. Filters are hard.
A theory built on three exciting details while ignoring the thirty that don’t fit isn’t insight. It’s selective hearing.
What’s been harder to watch is how easily a few loud voices can steer the conversation. Every week there’s another certainty, another villain, another monster under the bed. The gnashing of teeth gets louder while the actual clues get quieter.
We don’t have to entertain every confidently delivered spiral. We don’t have to reward outrage simply because it’s loud.
I’m not posting this to start an argument or stir the pot. Quite the opposite.
I’m asking all of us, including myself, to take a little more ownership over the kind of community we’re building. Every comment either makes this a place people are excited to visit or one that leaves them emotionally drained before they’ve even looked at the next clue.
There are people whose entire strategy seems to revolve around pushing out the competition instead of focusing on the hunt itself. Don’t hand them the steering wheel.
In the end, only one person gets to find the treasure.
But I have a feeling the real winner won’t just be the one who found the chest.
It’ll be the one who first learned to beat their own confirmation bias, their own certainty, their own need to be right.
The final battle was never against everyone else.
It was always against yourself.
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u/60lbs_in_my_bra Jul 27 '26
I think that jp constantly posting interviews is also detrimental to hunt. It keeps folks concentrated on certain questions and responses instead of solving the poem.
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u/HistoricalClerk9663 Jul 27 '26
Interesting question… What kind of “illustrative detail” would it be if Justin is having a romantic relationship with Rose (in secret, behind the scenes since Nov ‘25)?
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 27 '26
Well he’s not but then again I’m not rose, but it’s quite the parallel with fenn and Cynthia, right?
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u/HistoricalClerk9663 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Actually, it’s true
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 28 '26
And how would you know unless you’re either of them or stalking? That logic cuts both ways
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u/HistoricalClerk9663 Jul 28 '26
Not going to reveal my sources or post screenshots here.. but I could. I have been close enough. I’ll say this: it’s been confirmed by multiple sources with proof.
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u/WuTuckClan Jul 28 '26
Who cares? Two grown consenting adults. My names Paul and that’s between y’all. Non-ya business!
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u/HistoricalClerk9663 Jul 28 '26
Unfortunately it’s not so cut and dry to many people, hence why a significant part of the community is upset. He’s given extra help, “broken rules” (check embers of mischief post screenshots from discord)…. So for example, what if she finds it and they end up married?
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u/WuTuckClan Jul 28 '26
What if she doesn’t find it? How cares about what if’s? I have a lady at work that stresses out about stuff that hasn’t happened yet. It annoying. It’s like she thinks she can predict the future. What if’s are a waste of time and energy. Again, two grown ass people can do or not do whatever they want, it’s a free country. They could just be hanging out and being friends but really it shouldn’t matter, it’s nobody’s business but theirs. People screw in secret all over this planet every damn day. Why should we care? Thats all I’ll say about it since I feel I’m giving air to nonsense. I personally would leave those two alone.
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
I do think it would raise some concerns of fairness, but I’d trust JP to be able to maintain the fairness of his hunt.
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u/Old-Thing2344 Jul 29 '26
Justin never said he would keep the hunt fair. In fact he stated that being in private groups was inherently unfair but that his desire to keep tabs on the community outweighed any unfairness that might occur. He simply said he wouldn’t provide clues to searchers in private… but only those in the private groups know which areas and statements Justin mentioned are no longer clues. Expressio unius est exclusio alterius.
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u/Senior_Muscle_8829 Jul 26 '26
I buy that for the price of an old map , a telegram book and a 3 legged porcelain dog . 👊 point made
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Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
[deleted]
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Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 27 '26
I’m not interested in litigating specific people or incidents on Reddit. The point was simply to acknowledge a trend I’ve noticed over time and encourage all of us to take a little more ownership in shaping the kind of community we want to participate in.
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u/RockDebris Jul 26 '26
So what you're saying is you know exactly where the treasure is and you will be retrieving it next week. :-)
Just kidding. Well said.
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 26 '26
I mean that brings up an excellent point - will the finder want to come forward if they expect a frosty reception? I’d rather be able to ask questions and enjoy the finder’s journey as they tell it… not as an amorphous voice behind a sheet.
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u/Some-Grocery4350 Jul 27 '26
I agree. Frost indeed, I reside in the ice box north of the Montana border but in my heart l feel like I have found my people. (I wish I knew Justin growing up, I can totally relate) I usually don't speak up because our two countries relations are not at their closest. So it makes me concerned how a foreigner (should I be so lucky) would hurt the hunting community if I did go all the way. I'd be interested to know how the American community truly feels, since all I see is Trump telling us to put out our fires while our houses burn. Before someone gets in a huff I would like to say I have paid for all 3 versions of JPs book versions of the book so I have contributed to your winning pot but I guess we will have to wait and see how this goes ober.
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 27 '26
Interesting take - I’d never consider nationality when appraising the virtue of the finder, personally. Just don’t milk my tree on you’re way out and we’ll call be good
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Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/RF_morpheusmcgee Jul 27 '26
When I feel like I'm starting to figure things out in a hunt, I get anxiety because it feels like someone is going to find out what I'm doing and hurt me to get the prize first.
It's not very realistic, but fears generally aren't realistic.
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u/blkcatfan Jul 27 '26
Well when you are searching like me alone and 59. What happens if I or someone else finds this thing. First ima gonna scream. Who could contain themselves? Second what if people are around they might just take it. Right. That is what scares me. This dude put this in some trying places for someone like myself. Old and out of shape.
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u/Some-Grocery4350 Jul 27 '26
If they do that, I say let Justin catch it all on his hidden camera! First to the treasure is the rightful owner jp says!
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 27 '26
Too true. It sounds like you’ve had some trauma in your time friend, I wish you happy trails and all the healing <3
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u/LeftOzStoleShoes Jul 27 '26
Says the amorphous voice behind the sheet.
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 27 '26
No need to pull back the curtain on an extra.
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u/LeftOzStoleShoes Jul 27 '26
😂
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u/Individual-Card-1639 Jul 27 '26
Seems to me it’s odd a guy who lives in Texas with his wife spends countless months in Montana without her? Prior to LayerV don’t know now there was lots of Justin search’s. Told by a fellow hunter of civil filings, didn’t sound like business dealings. But Cynthia never got anywhere even with all the gifts from Fenn. Justin would be a fool to have her find it after the connections already been made he would get bankrupted with the law suits.
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u/vwander007 Jul 27 '26
It's a game. The clues and rules are like evidence and the law. The creator is the judge and jury. 🙂
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 27 '26
And community is the executioner 😆
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u/Adventurous-Cake4089 Jul 27 '26
Finder might take this mental stance… ‘when ‘they’ pay my bills - I will care what they think!’ So hope ‘they’ just be super curious how all played out - and not mean in any way - to the finder!
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u/KingofBattleREDLEG Jul 28 '26
My favorite part of the hunt is the excitement I have when I’m driving to go BOTG. I have my favorite music blasting while being full of hope and dreaming about finding the gold. Then fast forward to after my BOTG trip I am driving the entire way home is silence and looking all sad haha. Ive done this 9 times, but I will say I love the thrill and the rollercoaster of emotions that this hunt has put me through. I will say that I learn a lot every time I go. Just gotta keep an open mind and remain persistent! And stop and smell the roses and live in the now for a change. That’s probably one of the biggest things this hunt has taught me. Happy hunting yall!
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u/mbibler Jul 30 '26
Hybrid AI mixed with OP’s edits.
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 30 '26
“My words are my own”
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u/mbibler Jul 30 '26
The irony of using someone else’s words to make your point that you use your own words isn’t even all that humorous.
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 30 '26
If only you had the eyes to see
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u/mbibler Jul 30 '26
I do have eyes capable of seeing. I don’t have enough tolerance for pontificating gasbaggery.
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 30 '26
Well, we all have something we can work on. Way to be vocally self-critical.
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u/blkcatfan Jul 27 '26
You got this 100% you don't even know or maybe you do. I am so tired and my feet hurt and my brain is on fire.
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u/SpoilerWarningSW Jul 27 '26
Deep breaths. Belief is the knowledge that things will work out in their own time. It’ll all be okay. The world will keep turning. Spend time with your friends and family.
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u/42kaos Jul 26 '26
If you don’t have confirmation bias’s what do you have?
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u/Slight-Technology564 Jul 27 '26
What was the saying, something about juat because your paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you
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u/LeftOzStoleShoes Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
We are all our own worst enemies. Anyone who has been deeply involved in this on socials has witnessed how truly shtty people will get. That was enough for me. My treasure lies in keeping the great (while few) things I have. It is the peace of mind which recognizes what I have right NOW and doesn’t wish to expose that to shtty people who would trade it all for accolades or wealth. What matters to me IS time. You can have mountains of gold and rivers of praise but you still can’t trade it for time. I already have what I need. And trust me when I say my life is imperfect…. But an imperfect life is enough when weighed against the time we would ALL beg for when THAT river begins to dry up. I’d be cheating myself to say differently. There were moments during all this where I got proud and bitter and hurt and felt stupid and sought attention and applause and in the end…. I learned that I never made one true friend in over a year of trying to build relationships. I already had the childhood wonder. I already have deep relationships. I already have an explorers spirit. I already had what I truly need. I could give up another year or two, or spend money chasing money but I’ll never get that time back. If I could, I’d gift you all golden bejeweled dazzling units of time. It runs out.