"The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people."

The course of human history have seen the rise and fall of many nations and civilizations. Historians have long pored over the annals of history, analyzing the factors that had contributed to the achievements of societies. The indicators of what makes a great nation, whether one that has existed in the past or in the present is a conglomeration of many ideas. The topic statement above proposes that the surest indicator of a great nation is not in the achievements of its rulers, artists of scientists, but instead the general welfare of all its people. I am in concordance with the author's statement above. However I believe that the achievements of a nation's rulers, artists and scientists are synonymous to the general welfare of the people, instead of being separate as implied above.

When one thinks of the general welfare of a society, among the buzzwords that come to mind are political freedom, personal safety, education systems, public health care, high standards of living and so on. The people is what makes a nation. A successful nation strives to provide its people with all of those amenities. A nation where its people are happy and are well-provided for is generally peaceful and is a conducive place for social, technological, political and economic growth. On the other hand, a nation where its people are unhappy and not well-provided for is a place for potential social unrest.

As an illustration, let us look at two very different countries: Switzerland and Myanmar. Switzerland has been ranked among one of the countries that provide the highest standards of living in the world, which is inclusive of an efficient health care system and free education for all their citizens. Their success is reflected in their social, political and economic stability. On the other hand, Myanmar is a complete opposite representation of Switzerland. A country that has been backed by a harsh autocratic military regime for years, the citizens of Myanmar have long been oppressed and denied of many basic human rights. Even though the country is rich with natural resources, the people do not enjoy any of the wealth that comes with it. Instead they live in poor and squalid conditions. These conditions, on top of their lack of political freedom has led to many social uprising, which has most recently culminated into the public demonstrations by the monks in Yangon. By using the illustration of these two countries, it is fair to say that the general welfare of a nation's people is the surest indicator of a great/successful nation.

The topic statement above implies that the general welfare is a separate realm from the achievements of its rulers, artists and scientists. However, both are interdependent. A society that has the welfare of its people on its mind would aim to provide essential amenities like a good education system as well as an efficient social and health care system. A nation can only be successful with all these provisions. A nation is dependent on the talent and labor skills that the people can offer to the society;a good education system exist as the machine that generates the intellectuals, the artists and the politicians of the society. Good health care and social services are also very important to a society for without them, a society would be rife with both physical and social ills which would impede the progress of a society. As one can clearly see, there is a correlation between the general welfare of the people and the defining achievements of a nation as generated by its rulers,artists and scientists.

As a conclusion, I would like to reiterate my agreement with the statement as presented by the topic issue. A nation that provides well for its people has the potential for a nation to grow into greatness; it promotes a conducive ground for political, economic and social growth. The achievements of a nation's rulers, artists and scientists are important indicators of a great nation as well but their achievements are tied to the general welfare of the society.