Issue170 有高手帮改下啦~~谢谢嘿~~~

蒲若苇UID: 2669670

170. "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."


I agree with this assertion that the general welfare of all people is a significant factor to indicate whether a nation is great or not. However, we could not neglect the achievements of rulers, artists, or scientists in constructing the nation and their contributions in improving its people's living standard. Both are crucial for a great nation.

In the first place, the definition of ''welfare'' and ''great nation'' is necessary because only with a standard could we discuss this allegation deeply. The overall welfare means a nation's people could hold satisfaction both on materials and spirits. Likely, a great nation must represent its people's interests and benefit them in nearly every aspect. Obviously, from what we have defined above, the intention of a nation is to bring about welfare to its people rather than pursue the achievement of its rules, artists, or scientists. Yet the two is not counter to each other. When referring to the welfare, public health and safety, security against military invasion, individual autonomy and freedom, cultural riches and overall comfort come immediately into mind. Those cannot be achieved just with words or promises by the government, so policies and actions must be taken. Undoubtedly, rulers, artists and scientists are crucial components in our society, of which achievements are to serve and develop the society. When disparate or converse to people's interests, their achievements are invaluable at all.

Furthermore, contributions of the rulers, artists and scientists exist everywhere, which are the prerequisites and tactics to ensure people's welfare, just like the foundation to a skyscraper. First consider the rulers or politicians whose role is the as the public servants of the people. From a macroscopic perspective, they draft the blueprint of a nation and administrate it. Without those rulers, our country would never exist just like a ladder without rungs, not to mention how to provide welfare for its people. Next consider the artists. This group of people help others edify their sentiments, stir their inspirations as well as appreciate the beauty of our life. As I have stated before, welfare is not satisfaction in materials but more in spirits and it is the artists' works, such as songs, painting, sculptures and novels, that meat our spiritual pursuits. For instance, a certain piece of music could encourage a person to bravely face the difficulty suffered. Finally, consider the scientists. Common sense or experience tells us that the scientists' role is significant in the development of our society in various areas. Examples of how the science and technology improve people's living standards are numerous from the Industrial Evolution to the Information Age.

Last but not least, only when the achievements of rulers, artists and scientists are beneficial to people or our society are they valuable; otherwise, they should be regulated or even eliminated. For example, when a politician gain benefits with a method against the law, though s/he contributes much more than others, his behavior means nothing. Besides, cloning is beneficial when taken into medical research but immoral when related with human-cloning; plastics, as the greatest invention of the twentieth century, brings about convenience as well as pollution to us; nuclear research can be employed as either new energy or weapons. So a great nation should take into advisable consideration when evaluating achievement committed by rulers, artists or scientists.

In the final analysis, we cannot easily draw any conclusion that points out either the achievements of rulers, artists and scientists, or the welfare of the overall populations could indicate whether a nation is great or not. Instead, both exert an indispensible role in a country's development and only through a balance could a nation thrive forever.

黄色部分不知咋表达呵~~~~