I truly doubt it at first that, is there really "the surest" indicator in affecting a nation to be "great"? I think what make a nation great will be not decided by only one factor, but should be considered of many aspects. So I agree with the statement with reservations: the surest indicator of a great nation is not only represented by the general welfare of its people, but also by the achievements of its rulers, artists or scientists.
Admittedly, the public interest should be the primary concern of any nation pursuing greatness. Poor well-being means that the medical level of a nation is not so advanced, the social mechanism is not very complete, and people maybe even not achieve a subsistence level, let alone a well-off level that you have spare money to do other things like entertainments and inventions. And if people are in this situation, how can they make great art, and improve the science development? In a word, the general welfare is a basis of stability, economic prosperity and cultural diversity of a nation.
Why a great ruler be called a great ruler? A country’s leader makes a policy to stabilize the society and ensure the economic prosperity, scientific research and cultural development. Only if a leader makes good decisions that benefit people and help stabilized or even enhance the country’s circumstance, a nation can pursue greatness and a ruler can be called a prudent ruler. So no doubt the achievement of a nation's rulers is an important flag of a nation to flourish.
Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, a German poet once said, "The decline of a literature indicates the decline of a nation; the two keep in their downward tendency." A great country must have a deep cultural background, and the profound culture consists of great arts. For instance, when people see one of the greatest arts in the world, the Coliseum of the Rome, they can feel the great power from this piece of architecture, can see their history, feel every fight that happened here and the earsplitting applause from the audiences back then which indicates a exuberant vitality of the empire Rome. How can people get spiritual and aesthetic pleasure without the arts? The achievement of artists surely is considered to be a sure indicator.
And similarly, the scientific accomplishment is a crucial indicator. The rising of science strength indicates the rising of a country. Scientific inventions such as computer, television, cellphone make people a better life. And the more enormous technological development such as satellite, rocket, and space station is a significant symbol for the comparison among countries. The more developed country, the stronger its technological strength.
To sum up, a great nation is subject to the general welfare of its people, the achievements of its rulers, the contribution of artists and accomplishment of scientists.
结尾结得太匆忙,没时间了..... / _ \