The surest indicatorof a great nation is represented not by the achievements of its rulers,artists, or scientists, but by the general welfare of its people.
Which of these defines a great nation, the achievements ofits rulers, artists and scientists, or the general welfare of its people? I personally think that welfare, defined by societal support for basic housing, education and medical system, weighs more as one of the many indicators of a great nation, because it concerns the life of each single citizen of that country. Yet these two aspects are not entirely unrelated; the achievements of spectacular individuals also contribute partly to the generalwelfare, while a society with good standards of living allows artists and scientists to focus more on their career aspirations.
Admittedly, a nation’s prosperity always accompanies with great achievements of its rulers, artists and scientists. One who knows history would not deny the greatness of ancient Roman Empire: there were the famous writers such as Horace and Cicero; there were the sagacious rulers who set theRoman law, which was influential to European legal system for thousands ofyears; there were the ingenious engineers and architects who built great constructions such as the Colosseum. Even though there were numerous slaves who had lived in dire conditions in Roman, we still remember the Empire as a great nation for its contributions to modern politics, arts and science. In fact,from a historical perspective, when one is asked how he defines an ancient empire’s greatness, his first response would probably be listing out the achievements ofits rulers, artists and scientists appearing in that era. This indicates that people have unconsciously regard great achievements of spectacular individualsas one important barometer of a nation’s greatness, regardless of how we argue against it.
However, in modern terms, if a nation has great achievementsin these realms, yet leaves its citizens living with poor welfare, it cannot become, or remain as, a great nation. For example, the Soviet Union had remarkable achievements in the space technology and weaponry in the 20thcentury; but the living standards of its average citizen lagged far behind ofthose of the average citizen of a Western state. The nation’s collapse in 1991indicated that the government’s pursuit of cutting-edge technology is definitely insufficient in ensuring a nation’s survival, let alone greatness. Even the Roman Empire in previous example also declined gradually due to theloss of civic virtue throughout society. If each average citizen is facing difficulty in obtaining basic needs, on a large scale there would be a majority of people who feel unhappy and insecure about their lives. This would damage the nation’s whole well-being and thus rule it out from the list of great nations.
Last but not least, the two indicators are influencing eachother: a nation who does well in general welfare provides a platform foraspiring artists and scientists to attain achievements, while the achievements of political leaders contribute to the general welfare of people. If each citizen is receiving a well-financed education, he would be given opportunity to develop his own talents and ultimately he may choose a career in arts or science. If each citizen can easily afford housing or medical treatment by using earnings of their own hard work, he would feel secure about his own life and thus concentrate more on his work to contribute to the society. On the other hand, great rulers also help in improving the welfare of its populace. It is through the government’s good economic, diplomatic and social strategies canthe citizens be guaranteed to live in a well-protected and stable society.
In the final analysis, among a myriad of indicators which measure a nation’s greatness, general welfare might be a more important onebecause it determines a nation’s general well-being. However, it is supported and influenced by the achievements of rulers in the nation. At the same time, a good living standard also allows people to focus on arts and science developments. Altogether they make a great nation.作者: 普渡哥 时间: 2012-5-13 00:25
这是我在CD看到这个题目写得最好的一篇。作者: 普渡哥 时间: 2012-5-13 00:26
At the same time, a good living standard also allows people to focus on arts and science developments.
谢谢给了这么高的评价。我有时候遇到一些题目，总感觉不敢一边倒地写，怕不够平衡。可是真要写到平衡，又时间不够。