Superficial Welfares

 

The surest indicator of a great nation is represented not by the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but by the general welfare of its people.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

The advent of the Victorian era for the British colonial rule was a message to the entire world, to be subject to oppression by the British crown or to fight till they shall be overthrown. This depending on perspective of course, archaic or modern, may vary on whether such success during the 19th century was positive or not. But none can be mistaken that it was an achievement by the empire that cannot be misinterpreted in any other way than massively successful and lucrative for the British empire.. However, is this a surely indicator of the efficacy of the British crown in governing it’s people? Especially during the Industrial revolution we witnessed the rising up of class divides, between the haves and have nots. Such difference between the poverty stricken majority population and autocrats brought about reform, the suffragette movement, basic rights. The requirement of all these are an sign of the contrary. That the general public may not have been so content with the way their were treated and exploited.

In my own understanding, if a governing state fails to address the basic rights and needs of its own people, then it has failed in serving the very people who they have taken responsibliity for. The general population requires equality in access to resources, better healthcare, education, job prospects, and more transparency in the system, all of which in the 21st century, can be found in the countries with both the highest GDP and the highest happiness ratings. It is quite whimsical as some of the countries stand on the pillars of simply fair and righteous governing nothing else. Let us take the example of Norway, the citizens over there enjoy free healthcare and one of the lowest employment rates in the world. Albeit, with higher taxes but the country is one of the highest GDPs, even before crude oil was mined from it’s coast. In stark contrast with Venezuela, for whom the discovery the oil which at first seemed like a blessing, has indirectly lead to the economy plummeting and has left the population of Venezuela in disarray.

Many countries like India, and China suffer from problems like overpopulation however, time and time again research has emphasized on the importance of human resource and how it can stabilise and help grow the economy of a nation. The United States houses a population in the top 10 mst populous countries but the development of Silicon Valley and multiple ventures in various fields has led to generally positive reactions from them. Such multi billion dollar companies being housed in a nation is a very good sign for opportunities and higher incomes. The United States however, in recent years, especially has been experiencing a grander awareness of institutionalised racism and discrimination and this awareness is a sign of growth and bringing to light a lot of issues that the people of a nation might be facing.

In one understanding, the welfare of the general public and achievements and strides by a nation should go hand in hand. As people with better access to facilities and quality of life will have more opportunities and resources to shine in any given field of study. Any strides made by artists and scientists in a poverty stricken nation may be due to diligence, and extraordinary talent, but we know most breakthrough innovations come across when we share ideas and build our society as a whole and that is only possible when the people are united, when they have as little obstacles in their path as possible, and when adequate resources are allocated to them to help encourage them to pursure thier ambitions and gain merits for a nation.

We must also keep in mind the importance of a system that remains rather than one or two master strokes. Humans can get lucky, but to ensure progress and earn it, we can count on our systems. Systems that dont’ benefit only the superficial and fleeting powers of our economies but those that can be accessed by even the most marginalised of our communities. A system where kindness, benevolence, healthy competition, and teamwork are promoted rather than corruption, sabotage, and discrimination. A perfect world seems utopian the more news we encounter in a daily life but it is possible. One citizen at a time. And that i promise will be our biggest achievement yet.

Time: 29 mins

Word count: 725