A two syllable word with a range of denotation and with each interpretation involving a fresh discourse, Merit has its own sphere. It’s an agglomeration of reasons and every action committed has its own rationale for Merit. It cannot be judged, for it is in connotation with perspective of an individual.
Speaking of different viewpoints towards Merit, the stance sometimes conflicts with social statute defined for an action and a taboo for fraternity occurs to be a meritorious activity in some sense. A man smoking a cigarette holds the comfort and euphoria in high regards, but a doctor sees to it not as a utopian subject but as a menacing force to the health of an individual. Second in the line is the denouncing attitude of Indian society towards sports. Usually the bourgeoisie don't appreciate sports as an activity worthy of much sedulousness but for the child with zeal to play finds purposefulness in the pursuit. Anything of any shape and behaviour, if bestows one with joy has a Merit. Sunshine is an entity of Merit to a house-wife whose laundry task is fulfilled by drying clothes on the clothesline outside, but the same central body of the solar system with its scorching ferocity is a matter of discomfort to the commuters in the summers of Delhi NCR region in India.
Merit falls sometimes into the misconstruction that only deed that confers prosperity, contributes to affluence or is achieved by paying a hefty amount is worthy of Merit. The newfangled paradigm of the irony is the Bollywood movies making their way into the 100 cr. club of box-office collection. Most of them stand nowhere near the definition of cinema. These movies don’t infuse a sense in the brainpower of the audience, but they still go for it. Reason to corroborate the buying of tickets for such claptrap by the hapless viewers is the dearth of good movies along with the green paper’s might of the producers to market their brass as gold to the theatregoers. Another specimen of the category has to do with the psychology of Indian peoples. In India, an individual pursuing higher study from foreign university often makes people to decide his/her Merit and calibre, just by the tag of foreign institute attached to it. What these masses of envy and desires don’t understand is the fact that the ‘across the sea’ degree has more to do with deeper pockets of one’s father and awareness about the application process than only Merit itself.
Merit is an art of developing excellence in one’s passion. Finding your dream by the direction wind is blowing is an act of submission to others. Virtue is produced when one excel in one’s own capabilities and vision. It’s better to fall off than to seek applauds for a laudable to all but meaningless to self quest. It’s like climbing a rung up in the ladder of reliance on the praises of others to find Merit in your actions and efforts. A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse, when the wink is from a bandwagon one doesn’t want to jump on. The objective should be to live in one’s own spirit and henceforth achieving Merit rather than making oneself an organism feeble and surviving on the definition of worthiness explained by an aggregation of people.