S4E5 - But What Can I Do?

In this episode of Getting to 3rd Space, we are going to try and answer a question we are getting more frequently from friends, followers, listeners, and viewers: “But what can I do about the situation in our country?” Frankly, we were a bit stuck. So we went to Perplexity (https://www.perplexity.ai/) and asked it this question: People ask me, about the current social and political situation in the United States, "What can we do?" What can I tell them?Here’s a summary of what we learned (and we’ve put a few links below if you want to learn more): First, don’t give your power away to despair. Feeling hopeless only helps the people who want us numb and quiet. Second, shift your focus to where you have real leverage: local life. Pick one local issue you care about—democracy, climate, housing, gun safety, public schools, racial justice—and commit to one concrete role.Third, invest in relationships. Talk with your neighbors, your faith or civic groups, your coworkers. Listen more than you lecture. Share good information. And finally, use the tools we have. Vote in every election, especially the small ones. Call or write your representatives once a month on the issues that matter to you. If enough of us do small, steady things in one chosen corner of public life, it adds up. The question isn’t ‘Can I fix everything?’ It’s ‘Where can I be faithful and consistent?’ That’s how we bend things in a better direction.”Source: Perplexity⁠ and ask it this question: People ask me, about the current social and political situation in the United States, "What can we do?" What can I tell them?A 3rd Space Survey: Acts of KindnessDo you have an act of kindness that you’d be willing to share? You can participate through a Google Forms Survey at this link: https://forms.gle/5NQakn6bgeXpm2us5There you will find two kindness questions we’d like you to consider and then respond to:What is an act of kindness you’ve received that made a difference to you?What is an act of kindness you have done which you hope changed another person’s life?Finally, please share this survey because an act of kindness shared begets others.How We Check OurselvesFact Checking: Because there are a lot of things happening…some true, some false, some unbelievable…we use the following fact checking sites. Take a look for yourself:Snopes FactCheck Politifact RealClearPolitics Reuters FactCheck Because media can have its own biases, we also rely upon these sites to help us get balanced coverage:Media Bias/Fact Check All SidesAd Fontes Media Bias Chart Meet Lamar and TomLamar Roth and Tom Klaus are lifelong friends exploring how to get to a 3rd Space - a space where two or more people with opposing viewpoints, ideologies, and worldviews can come together to hear, listen, share, and connect with one another. Want to watch us do the podcast? Visit the Klaus Haus Productions YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@KlausHausProductions. Comments? Suggestions? Ideas for guests or topics? Send us a voice message on Spotify or email us at [email protected] and [email protected]:Wild Opinions and Nonsensical Musings by Lamar Roth & Tom KlausImages by Getty Images, Pexels, Pixabay, Roth Images, and Cyberlink AIFinal review and approval by Jake and Ebie Dawgs Inc. Photos by Lamar Roth are copyrighted by Roth Images, All Rights Reserved. For permissions or additional information: [email protected] and https://www.rothimages.com/Getting to 3rd Space with Lamar and Tom is produced and sponsored by Klaus Haus Productions LLC and Acorn Consulting, LLC. © 2026. All Rights Reserved. Permissions: [email protected]. No living creature was harmed in the production of this film but a lot of Colombian coffee was consumed.Recorded using Riverside.fm - http://riverside.fm/ - from “home studio” locations in Maryland and Kansas, USA; Original Publishing Date, February 17, 2026.