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:)36 "The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after them, not by their contemporaries."
According to the statement, the greatness of individuals can be recognized only by their offspring. In my view, this statement is too extreme. Provided that it can be revised to "sometimes," rather than "only," I will strongly agree with it. In fact, with a brief historical retrospect, we can effortlessly find the incubation period of greatness varies from case to case. A giant cannot merely be recognized by those who come after him or her, but also can be decided by his or her contemporaries.
The greatness of individuals cannot always be accepted by their contemporaries, but can be recognized by their offspring usually because their contributions have not been completely confirmed, or may be viewed as only of potential merit. Thus, the best way to recognize these potential contributions, at least it seems to me, is to prove their value gradually. This may require a long time. A great number of giants, who include scientists, artists, etc., were not approbated in their lifetimes, but received considerably high appreciation many years after their deaths. Consider, for example, the first modern scientist, Nicholaus Copernicus, who proposed a model of the solar system, but this did not attract much attention during his lifetime. However, his theory intrigued later generations, and gradually it was recognized. Another giant, Vincent Van Gogh, was virtually unknown during his lifetime, but after his death he became one of the most famous painters in history. Thus we see that the comments of later generations are objective to some extent and are no longer influenced by political factors.
Many giants in science and the arts are recognized by their contemporaries because they make a great contribution which exhibits merit immediately to the society. These great people's existence is like a brush-pencil, which endows our colorless world with a beautiful change. Thus we can find and accept their work immediately. An example is the British biologist Francis Crick, who with James D. Watson, proposed a spiral model, the double helix, for the molecular structure of DNA, and shared a 1962 Nobel Prize for advances in the study of genetics. They were recognized as two of the most famous biologists within a few years. Mark Twain won fame as one of America's first and foremost humorists by his contemporaries for his unique humor, excellent expression, and profound insight. In the areas of information technology, democracy, and enlightened government, people are eager to accept new ideas and desire to testify of their value. On these occasions, the greatness of individuals can be recognized by their contemporaries.
Admittedly, it is not uncommon for some people who were recognized as great in their eras to fade with the passage of time. This phenomenon often occurs in the field of politics. Whether these individuals retain the public's respect to some extent depends on their contributions to the public and whether or not the public acknowledges them. A particularly notable case is Hong Xiuquan, a chairman in China. He was recognized as a hero when he launched the Taiping Rebellion, but the test of history demonstrated that he only aggravated the tribulation of the Chinese people. In this aspect, there is justification to judge the greatness of individuals by those who live after them.
In summary, the statement is too extreme that only later generations can judge one's greatness. I concede that the judgment of a person's greatness is more objectively evaluated by his offspring than by his contemporaries. However, it is also irrational to deny the judgment of his contemporaries, who possess a more subject view of the giant. Accordingly, on balance, the greatness of individuals can be decided not only by those who live after them, but also by their contemporaries. |
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