Let’s be honest: a lot of the time, living in South Africa is no joke. From crime and corruption to cash-in-transit heists and car accidents, us South Africans experience our fair share of adversity. Nelson Mandela Bay, Durban and Cape Town all rank in the top 50 most dangerous cities in the world to live in. On the global stage, the picture painted of SA is seldom pretty, defined by scandalous politicians and satire rather than selfless leaders and social interest.

It’s tough out here, and here’s the thing: if we don’t laugh about it, we’ll cry. So why take it so seriously? In the face of the ridiculous, the unpleasant and the outrageous, it’s up to us to seek the silver lining in all situations. For every serious scenario you stumble across, there is an opportunity to either at the very least, shrug it off, or at the most, find the funny.

As South Africans, the best defense we have against despondency is our ever-enduring sense of humour. Spend five minutes on Twitter and you’ll quickly realise that no populous of people can see the funny side of things quite like we can. Any given meeting of the National Assembly is a better entertainment value than anything on Netflix. Our thoughts stay with Honourable Speaker Baleka Mbete and her constant battle to keep ungovernable ministers under control. This attitude must never be mistaken for apathy because we care a lot about our country – it is rather seeking comfort in comedy.

From snoozing MPs in parliament and Doom Pastors to bamboozled SARS IT Chiefs, one thing is for sure: living in SA is never a dull moment. We’re all in this together, and the best way to survive it is with a good sense of humour and the right shoes to #WalkItOff in.

South Africa, please give me protection from yourself. Step up your sense of humour in a pair of Tomy Takkies and try not to take things so seriously.