Is the surest indicator of a great nation the achievements of its rulers, artist, or scientists, or is it the welfare of its people? Many people think that a country which provides general welfare to its people is a great nation in that the welfare gives people not only material comfort but also psychological security. However, I disagree with the assertion that the surest indicator of a great nation is the general welfare of its people and not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, because general welfare has been advanced along with the achievements of rulers, artists, and scientists as a whole. The great achievements of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Charlie Chaplin, and Rachel Carson all have contributed to the wellbeing of the United States.

Political leadership has been crucial in legislating laws for the general welfare of the people. As elected as the next president to John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson launched a comprehensive program of social reforms that he called “The Great Society.” In order to accomplish his goal to abolish racism and get rid of poverty, he set up ambitious plans compared to the New Deal: the Civil Rights Act, the Job corps, the Operation Head Start, the Upward Bound, and the Medicare and Medicaid. Had it not been for his political leadership for abolitionism and social justice, the children from poor or colored families like Bill Clinton or Condoleeza Rice would not have had even opportunity for good education that made their American dream possible.

Not only political leaders, but artists also have promoted the general welfare of the nation. It was Charlie Chaplin who consoled the dejected heart of workers during the Great Depression. As one of the most famous performer in the early Hollywood, he did from film making not only earn enormous profits but also argued against the dark side of the American capitalism such as the class barriers between the poor and the rich and cruelty of people competing for wealth. Though expelled as a victim by McCarthyism, he did not abandoned the affection for the country where he had lived for tens of years and will be remembered by Americans as a hero who had a strong conscience for improving the general welfare of poor and alienated people.

Needless to say, the scientists also have contributed to the welfare of people by discoveries and inventions. Furthermore, they advanced the wellbeing of our society by exposing the danger of wrong technologies. In her works, especially in 1964 book “Silent Spring,” Rachel Carson sent to the world a warning about the deadly effects of pesticides like DDT; her research and writing helped launch the modern environmental movement which contributed to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Without her dedication to informing the public of the danger of widely used chemicals, the citizens of the United States would not have pride for their legislated support for conservation of natural environment.

Man becomes great exactly in degree in which he works for the welfare of his society. As having seen from the foregoing examples, a great nation is constructed when the accomplishments of its political, creative, and intellectual leaders have contributed to its social welfare. But it is equally not reasonable to assert that the surest indicator of a great nation is the achievements of its rulers, artists, and scientists, since their achievements are great to the extent that they contribute to the human welfare. When the leaders of a nation dedicate to improve the general welfare of the public, the nation becomes great firmly and continuously.