Danny put it excellently and if I could put it in context or give a reference I would love to attempt to make this even more clear and salient. Activity acts as a participation trophy for taking place in forum discussions while maintaining a bare minimum requirement not to spam and some other criteria. Merit acts as a trophy for a contribution deemed worthy by another member who has also contributed to the forum and now is able to pay it forward.

Asking or begging for merit would be like a fighter asking or begging for the title and belt without making their mark. This is like an actor looking for a nomination without playing a significant role.

This is a much broader mindset and it can be applied when looking at any endeavor, but you must be willing to be the fool. Be honest with your limited starting knowledge  and do not be afraid to be the fool. Everybody starts somewhere and as long as you are operating on the same base principals and core foundation as the rest of us have agreed to then you are free to progress past being the fool with your own determination. Do not expect to earn merits, ever, rather hope to assist, contribute and inform others in a way that is meaningful and significant. Challenge yourself to learn more and be more, merits will soon become representative of what you have brought forward to the community. In my case, I believe I have been over-merited for my contribution so you might even find yourself lucky in that regard.