This thread reminds me that over time I learned the meaning of "cycling merits".
I am one of those who hardly gives merits to lower ranked members and I have sent and received many from higher ranked ones.
Mind you, when I was a lower ranked member I did receive many merits from higher ranked ones.
I simply believe that there are few newbies and lower ranked members that stand out but when there are they receive a lot of merits, look at the case of n0nce for example.
n0nce that you mentioned is exceptional. In school there are students like that who are also referred to as gifted students but that does not make others who are not gifted like them dull. It is only that everybody will never have the same capacity to understand and interpret things at the same speed. Also you said you received alot of merits from higher ranks when you were lower rank but that you hardly give to lower ranked now that your are higher. Should that not be what you have to look into and change by being more compassionate to lower ranked members?