Claim: The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists.Reason: The surest indicator of a great nation is actually the welfare of all its people.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which

Which characteristic should a nation possess to be considered as a great one? The answer on this question depends on criteria which we are used to estimate it. Some people profoundly believe that prosperity of country's citizens is the best indicator of greatness. At the same time, an alternative prospect on the issue exists that achievements of nation's politicians, scholars and artists characterize a great nation. As far as I am concerned, a great nation is one which managed to impact on history of the mankind, therefore, achievements of a nation are better markers of greatness of a nation than its economic prosperity.

Today's western societies tend to estimate greatness of a nation in terms of economic achievements such as per capita income and GDP. Although these factors impact on wellbeing of society and its residents, they seem to be too egocentric and parochial. To illustrate an idea, imagine that we try to understand who a great person is. Is Donald Trump a great person due to the fact that he is wealthy and has a high standard of life or we may state that Mahatma Gandhi, whose ideas and thoughts have impacted on the development of western society, is a great person? May we say that one who creates good conditions of his own life is greater than one who devotes his life to others? In the same vein, when we have a deal with nations the most important characteristic of a society is its influence on humankind's history. For instance, may we assert that Greece is not a great nation owing to the fact that today it has struggled from financial crisis? This nation gives us a plethora of philosophers from Aristotle to Plato whose ideas are basis of modern philosophy. Without these pundits the western society would be different. The impact of Greece on mankind is enormous and therefore we cannot case doubt on its greatness. Egypt is another example of great nation which has lost its brightness but nevertheless has greatly impacted on our development.

In conclusion, although many of our contemporaries tend to estimate a greatness of a nation via wellbeing of its citizens, this approach seems to be inadequate and narrow-minded. A great nation is one which has affected mankind and its development. A great nation is one without which the modern civilization would be different.