Knowledge is more important than merit. With knowledge I will get more than merit.
I believe that if you have the knowledge and you know how to use it, then you have every opportunity to get the long-awaited merit. However, the problem of those who aren`t able to receive it is precisely the absence or lack of cognition. If you really own interesting and useful information, and share it with other participants, your efforts will be appreciated. Therefore, it`s not entirely clear to me how knowledge may not entail merit.