The general welfare of a nation’s people is a better indication of that nation’s greatness than are the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

The speaker of this argument suggests that a nation’s greatness can be measured by the welfare of its people and states that this supersedes the achievements of its rulers, artists, and scientists. This argument is misguided, however, as it ignores the enormous contributions that those groups can make to a nation’s greatness

On the one hand, it is true that a nation’s greatness can be measured by the welfare of its people. When a nation’s people enjoy peace and prosperity, they are free to pursue their passions and better themselves, and that nation can, in turn, achieve greatness. However, the prosperity and peace enjoyed in a nation also depend on the actions of its leaders, artists, and scientists. For example, the country that won the 2016 Olympics was Brazil. The Brazilian people, however, enjoyed no prosperity for many years prior to the games. Many Brazilians live in poverty, and the country suffered from droughts and volcanic eruptions until it was able to host the games. If Brazilian leaders had not started addressing those issues, they would not have been able to host the games

These problems are not limited to Brazil. Japan, for example, is one of the richest countries in the world. However, the population of Japan is declining, and the country’s best and brightest are leaving in droves because of its high taxes, high cost of living, and strict immigration policies. If the Japanese people did not elect leaders who focused on the improvement of the country instead of their own selfish concerns, the country would barely be recognizable. Likewise, the country’s scientists, artists, and religious leaders, if less successful than in the past, still produce remarkable work that benefits the citizens of Japan. Even the country’s rulers, who are largely incompetent, do the best that they can to lead a country whose citizens are largely uninterested or incapable of leading themselves

Artists and scientists are also capable of achieving great feats when considered on their own. For example, in 2001, the Rosetta probe successfully landed on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This feat was the result of the combined efforts of the European Space Agency, NASA, and the Russian Space Agency. The craft traveled 2.7 billion kilometers, 22 times the distance from Earth to the Moon, in order to make contact with the comet and take pictures. The craft also carried a variety of scientific instruments designed to study the composition and structure of the comet. Had landing such a probe not been a priority, the technology necessary to land such a probe would not have been developed. Similarly, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided scientists with valuable information about the structure and health of stars, as well as about mass and motion in galaxies, and discoveries made with the Hubble have led to advancements in physics

The greatest achievements of a nation, however, do not come from those of its rulers, artists, and scientists. The greatest achievements of a nation come from the dreams, hopes, and aspirations of its people. When the dreams of a nation’s people are realized, the people gain hope for the future and the knowledge that they are capable of making an impact on the world around them. When the people of a nation feel pride for their nation and its people, they will work hard to improve the country, and that hard work will lead to increased prosperity. When a nation’s people realize that their leaders are incapable of improving their nation, they will work to elect new leaders who will. In short, the dreams of a nation’s people are what allow that nation to achieve greatness.

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