It would be safe to say that the general mood in the country has never been quite this cheerful for such a sustained period. Boy, are we feeling it.

It's so crazy that at times it seems as if someone's pumped Prozac into the water supply. It's not that we haven't had other highs, but they've usually been short and sharp. As a nation we're more accustomed to emotional extremes than the equanimity of the even keel. And the longer it endures, the more it seems we're allowing ourselves to enjoy it.

You need only publish a collection of status updates by the South Africans on Facebook to see just how great we've been feeling about ourselves of late. Tap an average South African near you on the shoulder and you're likely to find someone in a convivial frame of mind, someone who feels proud of the country and what we have achieved, someone who has momentarily been released from everyday cares and concerns, except for one big question - "which teams will make it to the final Fifa World Cup battleground?"

But I do believe one of the primary reasons for our current positive state of mind is that for the past three weeks the country's politicians have not dominated the headlines and have been banished to the periphery of ordinary life.

And what a relief it has been. It is as if all the hot air has been blown away by the magic of football. And besides, football players are much easier on the eye than politicians. In fact, I have learnt that lots of women have been watching the matches (for the football of course) but also because the sport seems to attract loads of really, really worthwhile eye candy.

I mean, Julius Malema or Florent Malouda? Jacob Zuma or Cristiano Ronaldo? No contest.

Politics and politicians have unduly burdened the lives of ordinary South Africans for a very, very long time now and it is rare to feel the weight of it/them lifted, if only for a while.

Of course just because our elected officials haven't been hogging the spotlight doesn't mean it hasn't been business as usual (many of them have most certainly been enjoying the World Cup at taxpayers' expense). But it has been invigorating to not have to think about them.

So, what are some of the lessons we have learned from the World Cup? The most important is that we have gained confidence in who we are and our abilities not only to deliver on time, but also to behave like the impeccable, polite hosts we have been. The 2010 World Cup challenge has brought out the best in us and that is what the world has witnessed.

The thugs and criminals, the minority who hold us hostage, have been contained and kept at bay and the majority of South Africans have been allowed to shine.

We have learned that black and white South Africans can get on ... but that's only because the politicians have been otherwise engaged.

It has been great also to witness the support from South Africans for the rest of the continent and to see little old white ladies desperate to buy Cameroonian flags.

We have felt what it might be like to use public transport or walk the streets of the country's cities at night and feel safe. Fear has become so much a part of our mental architecture that many of us have forgotten what it is like to just be comfortable with others in public spaces.

The benevolent and caring atmosphere in the stadiums, among the throngs of people on the fan walks and in the fan parks has been healing and restorative for those who have been lucky enough to experience it.

We've learned that with enough political will and police the justice system can, in record time, make life uncomfortable for criminals.

South Africans, including pre-verbal children, can now identify the flags of most of the participating countries (as can street vendors), we have learned where countries like the Republic of Slovenia are located on the globe, and some of us were surprised that the Uruguayan team was not more "swarthy" (referring to the fact that they were all very pale for South Americans).

Hopefully, the legacy of us hosting the Fifa World Cup will run much deeper that the physical reminders it has left in the form of the beautiful, expensive stadiums.

It will be in what visitors witnessed for themselves, and for us it would have been about understanding that while many huge challenges remain, South Africa is a fine work in progress.