As of November 19, 2007, The United States Census Bureau's POPClock (a clock that measures the American population based on some sort of ingenious calculation) states that the American population is currently 303, 409, 035. Given the grand scale of things, I find it appropriate to say we are for the most part, a social country.

Our days rely on interactions. Our day is not just what we personally make it; it is what those around us make it as well. At the end of it all, by 6:00pm or so, the chosen or not chosen interactions with others compile into the quality of each person's day.

I can look on the bright side of getting robbed on a street corner in Detroit all I want, and although I might be smiling on my way home from reporting it at the police office (I can take a pretty confident guess I would not be), I would still be without a purse. My life and credit score will have been affected by a complete stranger. I will inevitably spend hours dealing with a situation I did not get myself into.

Although this particular situation is negative and grim, my point is that in a nation with over 303 million people, interactions between one another are key. How we "deal" with the situations other people put us into is what helps us fail and what helps us flourish. On a day-to-day basis, dealing with situations and other people who put us in them may not seem too difficult. However, if you tell me that, I will not believe you, simply because I have never encountered a "deal-free" day.

There is too much diversity in this country for any span of 24 hours to be "deal-free." Now, thanks to Desperate Housewives, the nation finally sees that everyone, even suburban soccer moms, must do their fair share of daily "dealing."

According to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) about 26% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. If that vague percentage doesn't hit close enough to home, think of it this way: it translates into almost one American out of every four. This means out of the mail carrier, the grocery store clerk, your second grade teacher, and the clown at the circus, one of them is likely to be what many light-heartedly deem as crazy - excluding you of course.

Okay so wow, you might be thinking about all the people who deserve to take the title of crazy, or give the excuse to a bad falling-out you once had with your neighbor, your boss, your family, or your friend. Knowing that one in four Americans has a mental disorder makes it very easy to label someone, call them crazy, and be done with it - but, my friend, that is not "dealing" with the matter. That is excusing the matter. Crazy people are everywhere, my family is plagued with them, and so is your local super market.