The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements if its rulers, artists or its scientists.

The surest indicator of a great nation is actually the welfare of all of its people.

 

What constitutes a great nation? Greatness is an abstract idea and the degree of greatness attributed to a nation would be a difficult thing to measure.  That still doesn’t prevent us from  wondering  where the various nations of the world rank on a scale of greatness. Many consider that the magnanimity of a nation does not rely on the achievements of a handful of its citizens – its rulers, artists or its scientists. Rather the welfare of the citizens as whole should be weighed in when one rates a nation.  I cannot completely agree with this argument as both criteria often coexist, and can be interdependent and mutually exclusive.   A nation which focuses on the welfare of its citizens usually has great leaders, and a considerable number of successful   artists and scientists , who all work for the upliftment of its citizens, except in certain exceptional cases.

 United nation is considered one of the greatest countries that have ever existed. The nation guarantees a minimum standard of living for its citizens, through the social security program implemented by president Franklin D Roosevelt in 1935. The country has contributed umpteen number of artists, scientists and has the highest number of Nobel prize winners in the world. To consider a different scenario,  consider Germany during world war II, most people would not attribute  greatness to the country at at least  that time . Hitler was one of the worst rulers we ever had, the citizens , especially the Jews had to go through torture and mass murder.  Regarding the achievements of the  artists and scientists, there was no dearth of achievements in arts and science  in Germany during world war II, when compared to other countries,  however that does not make up for the atrocious acts of its ruler or for the suffering of its people.  

Artists and scientists often emerge from a nurturing environment.  Somalia torn by internal strifes has not been able to contribute significantly to the field of arts or science. One of the main reasons is that the environment in the country, with people having no access to the basic amenities is simply not conducive for the development of talent in arts or science.

  In summary I believe that talented artists and scientists are better nurtured in a country where people have liberty, equality and freedom of choice, no matter which section of the society they belong to. The achievements of achievements oa nation’s rulers, artists or scientists leaders indirectly  indicates the welfare of the citizens, which in turn may be considered a indicator of its greatness.