We are almost halfway into the year, and so far it has been a crazy ride for all citizens of South Africa, and also for those living in Boksburg.
Economically, it has been one heck of a challenge to survive for some, with the advent of the hike in VAT, and the rand that acts like a yo-yo against the dollar.
We are, of course, suffering the headaches caused by our former president, who left a legacy broken parastatals, corruption and a woeful fiscus.
Then again, we are also suffering because of the actions of superpowers like America, Russia and China. And so the price of fuel skyrockets and so we pay both arms and legs for food.
At home and countrywide we have watched residents taking to the streets to protest against poor service delivery, while a crippling bus strike and constant power outages leaves us wondering if South Africa will ever get back on the right path.
So yes, there is a lot to be negative about. The list is probably endless. From crime to unemployment to high taxes. A list of woes to make you ponder emigration – over and over.
After all, SA remains a very dangerous country. We have cash-in-transit heists turning streets into war zones in broad daylight, with automatic weapons being fired in usually quiet neighbourhoods.
And then our shopping malls also turn into battlefields, and there is no guarantee, it seems, your vehicle will be waiting for you where you last parked it. Crazy stuff.
So, in light of all this negativity, let us then celebrate some good news, and the only good news we can really find is to turn our attention to the rest of the world.
After all, there is a lot of stuff happening abroad that we simply do not have to worry about (at least not yet) back home. For that, we can be thankful (I know, we are grasping at straws for a bit of hope).
Take for example school shootings. We’re only about 20 weeks into 2018 and there have already been 22 school shootings in America where someone was hurt or killed.
In May alone, at least eight people were killed in a shooting at Santa Fe High School, while in another incident a 14-year-old boy went to Highland High, his former school, and began shooting a semi-automatic rifle shortly before classes were scheduled to begin.
Madness is rife globally! America struggles to cope with a culture of violence, but at least here in South Africa, despite our levels of crime, we do not have mass shootings in schools.
Sure, there have been some scary situations at our schools due to political arm-wrestling, but so far our children can attend school without the fear of some or other kid deciding to rip loose on the playground.
At least in South Africa we do not have to worry about neighbours who want to blow us up, preferably with a nuke, which is prevalent in the Middle East.
We also do not have bombs flying and constant violent clashes over disputed territory.
On a second thought, that might even happen if the government keeps pushing its land expropriation ideals.
And then, we can rejoice that we do not have spewing lava volcanoes. It was a frightening scene in Hawaii when slow-moving lava flowed close to a power plant near the Kilauea volcano.
Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and one of five on the Big Island of Hawaii.
It erupted on May 3, forcing the evacuation of 2 000 people from their homes located on the mountain.
By the way, we also do not really have tornadoes, hurricanes, cyclones and tsunamis making our lives a living hell.
Let us also be thankful that for now we do not sit with the nuclear power plants. Sure, efficient energy, but they pose huge dangers. Remember the Chernobyl disaster?
During April, 1986, this disaster caused radioactive material to precipitate onto parts of the western USSR and Europe. The Chernobyl accident is considered the most disastrous nuclear power plant accident in history, both in terms of cost and casualties.
It is one of only two nuclear energy accidents classified as a level 7 event (the maximum classification) on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale, the other being the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011.
So yes, there are things we can be thankful for, as not all is gloom and doom, even if it gives us only slight comfort in the wake of our own economic meltdowns.
ALSO READ: 2018: The good, the bad and the ugly
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