I Have a Confession to Make

Dear readers,

I have a confession to make.

My name is not Sarah Connor. I'm sure you knew that.

I use a pseudonym because my personal views conflict with my professional obligations. Plus, I get a lot of hate mail.

I chose "Sarah Connor" because, like the character in the Terminator movie, I feel like a Cassandra. We see something coming that few take seriously.

I started Collapse2050.com on September 23, 2023. For years, I saw the threads of civilization pulled knowing humanity would eventually fall apart. This newsletter became my outlet, as nowhere else could I share my thoughts.

Most people don't want to know how fucked we are. They don't want to learn that they've wasted their lives and introduced children to an inescapable shithole. They'd prefer the Disneyfication of life, where every tale has a happy ending.

I'm here to tell the truth, not give false hope. Indeed, false optimism has worsened our predicament as it gave humanity 'permission' to kick the can down the road. What little opportunity remains requires a 2000 volt shock if the masses are to force those in power to take action.

Of course, not everyone is blind to this. There's a growing cohort that is listening to the science, watching the geopolitics and are aware of history. Within this group, we have differing opinions on how, what and when but we all agree that humanity is driving full-speed towards a cliff. Collapse2050 speaks to this group.

With that said, I didn't build this site to moan. Rather, I built it as a means for discourse. I learn as much from my readers as I hope you learn from me.

Collapse2050 is also a venue to stretch into the second and third-order implications of systems degradation. This is challenging work, and there's much room for error. However, it is critical to analyze the knock-on effects of changes to the biosphere, international relations and dangerous technologies. As a non-scientist, I have the freedom to synthesize across academic disciplines and push the boundaries of thought into the hypothetical. This systems approach to reverse engineering our predicament is important because topics like sociology, economics and geopolitics are all interconnected.

Finally, I write this newsletter to help our community prepare and become more resilient. Again, this is a team effort as many of you - homesteaders, farmers, builders - have shared with me your valuable insights.

To be honest, researching and writing is both painful and enjoyable. Each article requires a ton of work and is never quite finished. I press 'send' with trepidation, knowing I'll soon find something I don't like. Hopefully, this body of work along with your comments make this a valuable resource for you and a broader audience. I think the effort is worth it.

My background is not in ecology. Rather, I worked in finance for many years in research, analysis, communications and leadership roles. While I do like finance as an academic topic, I never bought into how asset management is commercialized. If I could go back in time I would have done things differently. However, this first hand exposure to the dark side gives me a more rounded view of the systemic flaws of current economic models and the motivations driving those in power.

Painfully, I still work full-time but I aim to soon fully transition to Collapse2050.com, homesteading and more. Spending hours slogging away for someone else when there's more meaningful work to be done is frustrating. But I look at it as a means to fund my efforts.

I will never put this content behind a paywall. It is too important and this is a not-for-profit endeavor. However, there are costs.

My writing is entirely funded by your generous contributions. If you'd like to help you can donate, subscribe, comment or share.

Lastly, please feel free to connect with me directly if you have any feedback or requests.