But the greatest sadness (over and above the Springboks losing) was how our anthem was hammered. Anyone notice how the entire country took umbrage?

I remember a time when the new version of the anthem was met with derision and scorn - not least by a large part of the rugby-watching population, who were the first to express their horror this time round. We never notice until something threatens it, how sacred things are to us. Let's just ignore the sports ministry's brainfart over Tendai Mtawarira before they waste any more taxpayers' money on stupid adverts for their indefensible overreaction.

"The best part about being South African is the last four words say I can," said singer Verity Price, stating another obvious thing perhaps no one else had noticed.

Price was one of the speakers at TEDxJohannesburg last Sunday, where I was extremely honoured to be asked to speak. Anyone who doesn't know what TED is, you're in for a big treat. Started 1984, the conference focused on Technology, Entertainment and Design (hence TED) and has attracted luminaries in every sphere. The 15-minute talks are legendary and free (see TED.com) and are some of the most inspirational things you'll ever hear.

TEDxJohannesburg is an independently organised event along similar lines and the first one ran last Sunday at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square. It was a day of one of my favourite things: brainfood.

We were riveted by the extraordinary stories of ordinary people who have made remarkable changes in our country and online, tales of earthworms and dung beetles, and enthralled by the silent conductor Steve Barnett. Without saying a word, he had the entire audience performing a mini musical orchestra using a chopstick on a length of plastic tubing, using our voices and clapping our hands. In 15 minutes, as his final slide said: "A diverse group of people, mostly strangers, played together in rhythm and harmony - without speaking, unrehearsed and without musical training - and made music."

If that was possible, he asks, the question is: "How can we silently conduct change?"

A few weeks ago I spent a lot of time showing a New York journalist around Joburg for a city guidebook for that eminent magazine Wallpaper - a subtle sign of Joburg's new status and that little thing called the World Cup.

David Kaufman is half black, half Jewish and a superb writer (see Transracial.net). I was invited to meet him by a friend who said: "You have to meet David from New York. He's so Jewish he makes you look Swiss."

This comment, and a range of conversations with various groups of people over the past few weeks, made me realise that we South Africans have developed a really sophisticated understanding of that defining apartheid problem that plagues the world and us particularly: how we view race.

We are a lot further along the road than we imagine. We're a lot more at ease with race and racial issues than we give ourselves credit for.

As Gus Silber, that learned gentleman of letters (okay, really witty, insightful journo), wrote on Twitter about Dumisani's atrocious rendition of our anthem: "It's a sign of how far we've come as a nation, that a Bok rugby squad can sing Nkosi better than a [Rasta] man named Dumisani". (Watch it on YouTube or here: bit.ly/NkosiStoner)

Indeed. Last year, GQ named a black rugby player (Mahlatse "Chiliboy" Ralepelle) and a white soccer player (Ryan Botha) in the top 10 of their best-dressed men list. A sub-editor on another newspaper swapped them around, thinking it must be wrong. That's how far we've come. We all just need to remember that.

• Shapshak is editor of Stuff magazine.