Ease on up to the Far Out Zone. Dig?
So… what is the Far Out Zone?
This is a question I've been trying to answer since I founded The Far Out Zone at the very end of 2025.
Those of you over 50 will probably recognize the idiomatic expression describing something that isn't far away, but is great, wonderful, or perhaps just cool. In the 1970s, it was ubiquitous. And those who let those wonderful words ease from their lips were generally calm, collected, and cool.
Put this relic of a slang term into a zone, and what do you have?
In a sense, we're borrowing from another period of anxiety and malaise. The 1970s were hardly carefree. Economic uncertainty, political turmoil, and international tensions were part of everyday life. Yet looking back, it sometimes seems like a simpler time. Those of us who lived through it found our own ways of coping with the uncertainty, often taking what was then considered a particularly troubled period of history in stride, with a certain laid-back attitude toward life. Perhaps that's part of what made the expression “far out” so fitting.
Today, we find ourselves living through another period of uncertainty, although the challenges are different.
Finding meaningful, stable employment can be an increasingly frustrating experience. The cost of living continues to put pressure on household budgets. Technology is transforming our lives at a pace that can be difficult for individuals, institutions, and society as a whole to keep up with.
And despite all the ways we have to communicate, many of us feel increasingly isolated. Despite having nearly limitless information at our fingertips, distinguishing fact from fiction can be remarkably difficult. We're surrounded by distractions competing for our attention, while the sense of community and belonging that many of us value can seem increasingly difficult to find. Political polarization has deepened, making it increasingly difficult to find common ground, even among friends and family. And for many of us, the political atmosphere in the United States, along with troubling developments around the world, has become a source of genuine anxiety about the future.
Sure, The Far Out Zone has a tinge of nostalgia, and some of it is simply for entertainment, particularly for those of us in Generation X. However, there's a practical side to The Far Out Zone, too.
That practical side is still taking shape. For now, The Far Out Zone is primarily a blog, a place to share ideas, experiences, observations, and perhaps a little wisdom accumulated along the way. But I envision it becoming something more.
I'd like to explore ways of living healthier, spending less, finding meaningful work outside traditional employment, and making better use of the technology available to us. Sometimes the answers might come from looking backward and rediscovering something we've forgotten. Other times, they might come from embracing something entirely new.
If this is something that resonates with you, I invite you to stay tuned. We may not be able to change the world overnight, but perhaps we can make our own little corner of it a little more far out.
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